At the Divide
by Michi-tan
Summary: Avery is just your average freshman, except for one thing; she's a witch! What will she do now that she's in the clutches of Akatsuki and has a demon after her? T for language.
1. Chapter 1

**I had this idea while drawing a thingy with an imp and blood contracts o.o And it's mine. So don't take it.**

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to their respective owners.**

Hey guess what! I edited this! Thanks !

"Are you sure we should be doing this?"

"Of course! What harm is it gonna do?"

I walked down the long hallway towards the door painted with a pentagram. My best friend, Sadie, trailed behind shivering in the dank air. She thought we were going to get cursed or something. As if. Nobody believed in that crap anymore.

Sadie was my first friend when I moved to the little town in Ohio. She was with me through thick and thin and she would never let me down (which was my argument to get her to come down to this creep-shack).

"Look, Sadie. If you don't want to be here, then leave," I said, twisting my head around to look at her. She was running her hands up and down her arms, trying to gather warmth from the little friction she could make. 'Jeez, she's so paranoid' I thought and shook my head, making my brown hair sway back and forth.

"B-but, Avery! You know that our parents would kill me if they knew I let you go down here alone," she whispered. I shrugged. Yeah, it's true. They probably would. But this was so worth it!

The whole reason behind this little visit was raw curiosity. I heard some kids talking about a door with a star in a circle painted on it, a pentagram. They said everyone who went in it, never came out. Well, some did, but they went to the morgue later.

"Whatever. I'll just prove to you that those rumors are totally wrong!" I grinned. Sadie just shook her head and sighed, going back to warming herself up.

We were a few feet away from the door now. It was dark, but the stuff used to draw the pentagram looked…red. And it was all drippy, too, like it was fresh painted. I rolled my eyes. This was so fake.

"Av-avery. I don't think we should g-go any farther," Sadie said behind me. She sounded scared.

"Sadie, calm the hell down! It's just a stupid prank!" I stopped and whirled around to face her. Her brown eyes were wide and she was shaking terribly. I felt really bad about my outburst and reached toward her.

"Avery, let's just leave!" she almost screamed as she backed away from my hand. I didn't want to go back; life was boring. My mom was a Wiccan and hardly did anything except stuff for the soul and crap. Seriously, all of my classmates thought we were freaks.

I turned back around and headed towards the door again. It got colder once I was in front of the door. And was the air…menacing? Creepy.

I touched the doorknob, and then suddenly, I could hear screaming from all around. It was painful, and I clutched at my head, wanting for it to stop. And it did.

"Sadie! Did you hear that!?" I yelled, my ears ringing from the screaming. It was weird how it had just stopped all of a sudden.

"Is that the girl's name?" a silky-smooth voice asked.

I turned around and saw the body of Sadie, admiring her fingernails. I gaped at her and she 'tsked'.

"Don't stand there with your mouth open like a codfish. Open the door already so I can get out of this wretched world!" she said, pointing towards the pentagrammed door.

"What? Who are you?" I asked, half-crazed. This was not Sadie, and before I did anything, I wanted answers!

She sighs. "First of all, I'm a demon, and every moment you spend asking questions, you're friend dies a bit at a time. Then I'll be body-less, and we don't want that. Second, I have no name, so you don't need to know. Now, open the door, girl, or your friend will die."

Jeez. Mom had mentioned something about demons. Something about energy stealing; I wasn't listening. Damn, does that mean everything she's told me about witchcraft was true?

"B-but, that means you'll take Sadie. Give Sadie back!" I demanded. Demon lady sighed again.

"Me being a powerful demon, which is quite annoying sometimes, I've just about spent you're friend's energy. Oh well, I'll just take your body," she said boredly. Sadie's body sagged, and collapsed in a heap of limbs.

"Well, girl, looks like your friend's dead. Tough break," a voice out of nowhere sighs. What is with her and sighing?

I kneel down beside my best friend. No pulse, no heartbeat, no breathing. Hot tears slid down my cheeks; that damn demon was going to pay!

I sucked in a breath; payback will have to wait. Excruciating pain washed over me. I struggled against the strong presence in my head.

"Hmph, you're strong. You must be Aislinn's daughter," she scoffed. I paused. How did she know my mother?

"Darlin', your mother was the one who put me in this hell-hole!" she spat in my head. My mom? The weirdo Wiccan who believed that a cypress limb had the power of making you live longer?

"Get out of my head, you damn witch!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. I held a mental image of me throwing a witch out a window, hoping maybe it would come true. The pain disappeared, and I heard her groan in pain.

"Girl, you don't know what you just did," she said menacingly, "You might leave this place, but I know you'll come back. And when you do, I will take your body."

* * *

"Ugh, I'm so emo," I grumbled, staring forlornly at the sharp razor I clutched in between my thumb and forefinger. I tossed it in the bin beside my desk and grabbed a backpack and started shoving things in.

I had gotten so depressed after the incident. I'd cut myself a few times, and I made these crocheted wristbands to hide the scars (the wounds healed amazingly fast). I just realized today how overrated it was.

It's been a week since Sadie died. It's been two days since we held the funeral. And it's been ten minutes since I decided what I was going to do about it.

"Mom! I'm going out!" I yelled from upstairs, grabbing the back. In a flurry of wispy fabric, my mother swept towards me.

"Where are you going, honey?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. This made the super heavy earrings she had on tilt and her earlobes stretch. 'That is so gross' I thought, amused.

"Out." I said shortly. She pursed her lips.

"Avery, I know what happened," she said knowingly (any other way?), and I froze.

"And what happened Mom?" I said coolly.

"You let out that demon, that's what."

Crap. So she did know. I groan and nod.

"I knew my baby was going to face her one day!" she said joyfully, "Here take this," She shoved something into my hands. I held it up and looked at it.

It was a creepy necklace with a cube pendant. It was a little wooden cube with symbols all over it. It was a weird-ass piece of jewelry, if you ask me.

"Mom, this is a weird-ass necklace. What the hell am I supposed to do with it?" I asked. Mom bit her lip.

"Well, uh. You need to go through that door and the abandoned house. It will take you to a different universe, one that everyone knows about, but doesn't know exists," she said gravely. My eyes widened.

"You mean…"

"Yes."

"I'm going to Narnia?!" I said excitedly. That would be so cool!

"Uh, no. Anyways, you need to find a man with red eyes, he'll be able to help you," she said, and started pushing me towards the door. Jeez, pushy much?

* * *

Damn. I didn't know a stupid wooden house could look so scary. I was always the one who laughed at horror movies; I should be laughing my ass off!

'Alright, no use standing around' I thought, and shouldered my backpack. It had the essentials: clothes, toiletries, ect. It was like I was going on vacation. And Mom never did tell me what the necklace was for.

I was still grumbling about the lack of information when I got to the door. It was as silent as when I brought Sadie. I felt so guilty now. I should have listened to her. I should have—

"Ah, you're back. See, I knew you'd be back," that demon purred from somewhere in the room. I just about jumped out of my skin. Damn demon.

"Yeah, so what? I'm not letting you take over my body," I called, not sure of where she was. A laugh seem to come everywhere at once. I felt something touch my cheek.

"Dear girl, I can't do that until you open the door," she said sweetly, "So, go open it."

Mom told me to go open it. Maybe I should be quick, and not let her through. Damn, that wasn't going to work, she was a freaking spirit who seem to be everywhere.

"Fine. I will." I said and did something that would plunge my life into chaos.

I opened the fucking door.

Everything seemed to spin and swirl, like a top. I heard the demon cackle and something invading my mind-space. Seconds later, I blacked out.

* * *

I awoke in a heavily wooded area. The first thing I realized was that my head hurt real badly. I tried sitting up; I did this a little fast and I felt like passing out.

Second thing I realized, was that I could control my limbs. No demon took over my body. Sweet.

I sat up, more slowly this time, and reached for my pack, which was remarkably still with me. 'Hmm…Where to go?' I thought. Walking until I found civilization sounded best. I stood up, and started my journey in a random direction.

Turns out, it wasn't. I had been walking for hours (and was still in the forest), and I was hungry and thirsty. I was basically crawling when I smelled food.

"Must…get…food!" I panted, reaching for a tuft of grass. I heard something in the bushes and froze. I heard voices a few seconds later.

"Ne, ne, Zetsu-san. Tobi is sure he heard something!" an obnoxiously cute voice said insistently. It sounded familiar; where had I heard it?

"Tobi, there was **nothing**." Two different voices said. The second one sounded mean.

I decided to cry for help. I was just so hungry!

"H-hey! I'm over here!" I called in a strangled voice. I heard someone shout in surprise, and then crunching leaves.

The first one I saw was a guy in a black cloak and an orange mask. From what I could see, he had short black hair and…purple nail polish?

The second guy was uber weird. He had bi-colored skin and a venus fly trap on his head. If I weren't so weak I would've screamed and run..

"Ah, we've found someone, Zetsu-san! What'll we do with her?" Tobi, I'm assumed, asked.

"We could always **eat her,**" Zetsu said, licking his lips. I gulped. Tobi, I guess, was shocked and kneeled beside me.

"Don't worry! Tobi won't let that happen," he said soothingly. My stomach growled and I remembered why I had called them over.

"Hey, could I get some food?"

* * *

While I was eating (charred fish; it needed salt) they interrogated me. During the first few questions, it was only Zetsu talking (it was weird talking to two people in the same body). Tobi butted in after a few minutes.

"Why are you here, Avery-chan?" Tobi asked. He even cocked his head to the side. How cute!

"'Cuz."

"Cuz why?"

"Cuz someone wants to control my body," I said all this evenly, but the anger boiled inside me. That 'someone' killed my best friend. I felt like I had an emo-cloud over my head as I thought about all this. I was thinking about a lot of evil things.

"Who?" Zetsu asked, while the black side of him said, "**Is his name Orochimaru?**"

"I don't know who! A fucking demon, okay!?" I shouted at them. The fire they had made to cook my food (and the food that I had smelled that led to our eventual meeting) flared, licking the branches of the tree above it. The two men and I stared at it in amazement. I gaped and the flaming leaves.

"Did I just do that?" I asked. Tobi turned to look at me, and then turned back to Zetsu.

"Zetsu-san," he said in a different voice, deeper and sexier, "We should take her to Pain."

Who the hell was Pain? And why were they taking me to him? I just about argued with them about it, but Tobi picked me up bridal style.

I yelped. "Put me down, you bipolar weirdo! I can walk!"

He chuckled a bit. "Me? Bipolar? And yes, you can walk, but it'd be much faster this way."

God, if only I knew how much these turn of events would change my life.

**Thoughts? And a review or two please :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much for the reviews! I really appreciate it!**

**Disclaimer: If I did, I wouldn't be here.**

**For all people who think I rushed it, I'm sorry! It was really fun to write and I couldn't stop!**

Once again, edited! 

* * *

_His red eyes looked at me, and I looked back. He seemed dangerous in a way, but I wasn't afraid; it was quite the opposite. I was glad he was there; he gave me a sense of comfort no one else gave me. We reached out towards each other and then—_

I guess I had fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, I was being nudged in the side. Out of reflex, I flung my hand out, but someone grabbed my wrist before I actually hit anything. I opened my eyes tiredly to see the offender.

"Ah, Avery-chan! You're awake!" The guy with the lollipop mask said happily. If I could see his face, he'd probably be smiling at me. I groaned and squirmed a bit in his arms. How long had I been out?

Tobi set me down. "By the way, Avery-chan. Think before you say things, 'kay?" God, I have a bad feeling about this. I mean, seriously; I think the ominous warning took it a bit too far.

I realized that we were now standing in front of a boulder. It had a piece of paper on it with a symbol similar to the ones on my necklace. He and that bi-colored dude did some weird crap with their hands (half of which I couldn't keep up with) and the boulder moved aside. I gaped like an idiot.

"What the hell is this place?" I asked with a slightly crazed look on my face. Zetsu looked over at me with a penetrating stare.

"Probably the **last place you'll ever see.**" He said. His voice sent shivers up and down my spine. Jeez, why is this place so creepy?

Tobi grabbed my hand (it was awkward, let me tell you. I blushed like a person caught in the middle of an embarrassing act), and led me inside. It was basically a dark, cold cave. Damn, I was expecting some kind of…I don't know. Something exciting at least. Gosh.

"What a disappointment," I mumbled. Tobi cocked his head at me. Zetsu was gone for the moment (him having disappeared into the ground, and succeeded in freaking me out).

"What's a disappointment, Avery-chan?" he asked in his childish voice. Through the hole in his mask, I saw a glimpse of an eye. It resembled an upside-down 'u'. I heard him chuckle a bit.

"I mean, seriously. You're taking me to someone named Pain, and all you have is a dark cave. Ooh, scary," I babbled, but who cares! It broke the tension, and there was a lot of that built up in me.

He chuckles. "It's a lot more than meets the eye." Oh my god, there was the other voice again. Damn, it was sexy. I blushed again (this time in irritation at myself) and slipped my hand out of his.

"Alright, Avery-chan! We're here~," he sing-songed in his Tobi voice. I was opening my mouth to say something, but suddenly, it was like scales fell from my eyes (great, now I'm talking like a stupid book).

The rock floor disappeared and in its place was…carpet? The stalactites and stalagmites were gone and a living room appeared out of nowhere. A couple other home-y things were there, like a kitchen, TV, and a hallway leading somewhere.

I'm sure you can imagine how freaked out I was. My eyes were bugging out and I felt like passing out. But I didn't, not yet. I took a deep breath and turned to Tobi. It seemed like he had been staring at me, which was quite unnerving.

"Excuse me," I said, and promptly fainted.

* * *

I awoke in a dark room and in an uncomfortable chair. I guess this is where they put me after I fainted. I heard voices, so I kept my eyes closed. What's better than eavesdropping?

"Madara, why have you brought a mere girl to our hideout?" a deep (and sexy, but different from Tobi's) voice asked. What the hell? Mere girl? Well excuse me for not being a freak like you guys!

"I don't believe she's a mere girl. Look closely at her," Tobi said, no, _commanded_. Why does he keep using different voices? And what was so special about me? I heard a chair creak softly.

"She looks like…," the other guy said calculatingly, "No, it can't be!"I decided to open my eyes then. Sheesh, they were talking about me like I wasn't even there!

"Shoot, you don't talk about people like that when they're in the room," I pouted. Tobi chuckled, and I saw that the other guy just glared at me. He had orange hair and piercings all over his face. A question started bugging me, and I just had to get it answered.

"Hey, did those hurt?" I asked innocently, pointing towards the rings. It struck me as something Sadie would say. Dammit, don't think about her, dummy.

The guy twitched. He completely ignored my question and turned back to Tobi.

"What place does she have in your plans, Madara?" he questioned in monotone. Is that Tobi's real name? Gods, what's with all the foreign names?

"For now, I don't know," he said, "But she will, in time."

That's it! They're done talking about me as if I'm not even there! I was furious; I stood up, knocking over the chair I had been sitting in. I felt a strong wind whipping my brown hair all around and heard shouting from the two bozos. Something struck the pressure points at the base of my skull, and suddenly, I wasn't there anymore.

* * *

I woke up once again in a dark room. This time I woke up in a bed, though, which was a step up from the chair. I groan as I sit up; why does my head hurt so much? I heard a rumble and my thoughts sidetracked to food. Damn, I was hungry.

I saw someone enter the room, and it didn't take long to see the mask.

"You're finally awake. Took you long enough," Tobi (or Madara; not quite sure) said with a chuckle. What is with him and chuckling? I huff and turn my body away from the figure on the edge of the bed.

"It's lunch-time, by the way. Whenever you're ready, just walk down the hall," he said, and left the room. Mm… Lunch sounds good right about now. My stomach growled and I was forced to acknowledge it. I went to a small dresser in the corner of the room. Now that I looked at the room, it was really big, and there was hardly anything in it.

I looked at the dirty clothes I had on, and decided to 'borrow' an outfit. I openeda drawer a pulled out a black t-shirt and capri's (same color). And so, once I was done getting dressed, I gave myself a once-over, brushed my hair as best as I could with my fingers, and set off down the hall like Tobi said.

So, when I got to the lunch-room (didn't know what else to call it), I saw Tobi, Pain, and this guy with blue skin sitting at the table. I started humming '_I'm Blue'_ as I strolled through the kitchen. I opened the fridge, and then it closed with slam.

"Who the hell are you?" asked the blue dude, hand on the fridge handle, smirking. He leaned against the fridge after I let go and I glared at him.

"Avery," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. He peered at me, and then turned to Pain.

"She's Ai's daughter," Pain said absently. Blue-dude raised an eyebrow, and then walked back over to the table

"Explains the stupid name," he mumbled, but by the way he said it, he didn't think it so stupid. I 'hmph'ed and went back to raiding. I gathered the ingredients for a salami and butter sandwich (which is quite good by the way), and made me some lunch.

"I guess you're going to do something terrible to me now," I said, after I took a bite of the sandwich I made. Kisame (I learned his name after Pain told him to stop staring at me) had left just as I sat down. Tobi shrugged.

"That depends. If you can't perform the same thing you did with the office and fire, then yes. We'll do something…terrible." He said darkly, but probably with a grin. I took another bite of my food.

"…Weirdo," I mumbled, the word coming out muffled. He's been so overly dramatic since I'd met him.

I finished my sandwich, and got bored quickly. The two left after talking a bit with me. Jeez, they freaking _interrogated_ me! 'Have you ever…' 'Could you…' 'Did you…' Ugh. Interrogations were so medieval.

I settled with banging my head on the counter. If it weren't for that stupid demon, I wouldn't be here. I swear, if I ever get my hands on her, I'll—

"Nani? They brought a sacrifice for me?" a voice said, surprised, but pleased, "How fuckin' nice."

I looked up and gulped at the man who stood before me.

* * *

**Hehe, -gulp- I'm sorry I didn't update sooner! I've gotten obsessed with Neopets (again)! REVIEW!!!**

Did you know: A firkin is a small wooden tub used, especially in the past, for storing food or liquids? Random!


	3. Chapter 3

**Hrm…3****rd**** chapter. Idea's are (gladly) welcomed.**

**Disclaimer: Pretty much the only things that belong to me, are Avery, and the plot. Sad ;~;**

_"Nani? They brought a sacrifice for me?" a voice said, surprised, "How nice."_

_I looked up and gulped at the man who stood before me._

The first thing I noticed, was the scythe. It had three blades, and was the color of blood. The word sacrifice rang through my mind several times, and I broke out into a cold sweat.

His slicked backed hair glistened in the kitchens bright light. He was grinning sadistically, and the sense of déjà vu hit me like a truck it did with Tobi.

"Eh, I'm not a sacrifice," I cried, my voice high with panic; I raised my hands defensively in front of me. He cocked his head to the side.

"Leader said anyone who's not important, I could kill, so," he grinned wider, showing his white teeth, "Don't worry, this'll only hurt a lot."

My eyebrow twitched. I dropped my arms and huffed. Is this guy seriously a villain? How lame!

He launched himself at me all of a sudden, and I barely had any time to react. I dropped into a protective stance I learned in karate three years ago, but I didn't need it. A sudden, strong gust of wind tore through the room and lifted the man off his feet.

"Fuck!" he shouted, slamming into the wall. The wind died down as soon as it came, and I stared in shock. Another weird phenomenon while I'm around. Coincidence? I don't think so. I was staring blankly at the spot where he landed until he started talking again.

"What the hell did you do, bitch!?" the silver-haired guy screeched. He was scrambling back to his feet and glaring furiously at me.

I opened my mouth to retort when some blond chick walked in; she also had a black cloak. Where are the fashion police when you need them?

"Who the hell are you, un?" she asked in a mannish voice. Holy crap, she was a he!

"Oh my effing duck, you're a guy!" I screamed, pointing at him. I hugged myself and ran out of the room. This place was filled with freaks—and guys. Too many guys!

I careened wildly through the place, looking for the room I was in before. Every door looked the same and I was severely confused.

"Where the fu—oof!" I slammed into something hard and toppled backwards, landing on my ass. Smooth, Avery.

I looked up to see what I ran into, and hurried to my feet. It was Tobi, and by the looks of his arms over his chest, he wasn't happy.

"You're already causing trouble, Avery-chan?" he said in his kiddish voice, but it was said with menace. I smiled uneasily and shrugged.

"Yeah, well, you know," I giggled nervously. He grasped my arm and started dragging me somewhere. His grip was extremely strong, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't escape, so I was forced to follow him.

We stopped in front of a door and Tobi pushed it open, pausing before pushing me inside. A big table took up most of the space, and everyone I had seen so far, plus others, were seated in the chairs. The he-she was leaning back in his chair and was close to toppling over; Kisame was drumming his fingers on the wood; some freak (who wasn't one in this place?) was hunched over and counting a wad of money.

Pein, looking kind of high, motioned for us to sit down. I found a chair by this hot raven and sat down. He looked extremely bored, but so did everyone else. I let my head drop onto the table with a thud.

"First things first," the redhead stated, "No killing that chick over by the weasel."

I lifted my head and my eyebrow twitched. That chick? Who does he think he is? The raven must've thought that too; he looked pissed and ready to kill. Hmm, why did Pain call him weasel…?

"Also, I'm drunk, so anything I say is the alcohols fault," he slurred and grinned lazily. I let my cranium drop back onto the table. This place was filled with absolute morons.

"Who, exactly, is 'that chick'?" the he-she asked.

"She's Ai's daughter," Pein said off-handedly. Still no name? A few people gasped, but there was no whispering like there would be at school. And what was so special about my mom?

"Aislinn had a daughter?"

A blue haired woman (finally, someone to sympathize with me!) stepped out of the shadows behind Pein. A white paper flower stood out next to a bun in her hair. Besides the hair (which was pretty cool), she looked a lot like my mom. A shocked expression flitted across the perfect, apathetic face.

"Can I ask what's so special about my freakin' mom?" I asked, letting my annoyance slip into my voice. She looked at me and I saw something strange in her eyes.

"She was my sister," she said, her voice breaking at the word 'sister'. She murmured an 'excuse me', and rushed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. I stared after her, wondering what just happened. Mom had a sister? There were two things she never mentioned: my dad, and a sister.

"Oh, great," Pain grumbled, "Now you've made Konan cry!" He hopped up and left the room, hurrying after Konan.

"Uhh…what now, un?" the blonde said. Nobody answered him, and instead filed out of the room. The only people left were Weasel, Tobi, and blondie.

I coughed. "Hey, since everyone else left, can I ask your names?"

"Deidara, hm!" blondie said enthusiastically. He'd make a good cheerleader…

I turned to the raven. "And you are…" I trailed off, looking hesitantly at his face. I did a double-take when I saw his eyes: red, but not red like he'd been rubbing them too much. Red, like they were that color on purpose. Mom said to find a guy with red eyes, didn't she?

"Itachi," he said shortly, and got up. Deidara snorted and watched him leave. "Stuck-up son-of-a…" I heard him say.

"Deidara-sempai!" Tobi screamed, filling the silence. I fell over in my chair, hitting my head on the floor. The blonde started yelling at Tobi for being an idiot ("Shut the fuck up Tobi, hm!") and the masked man started going around asking if he was a good boy.

I started to idly wonder where the demon had gone. I was pretty sure she had escaped my world, but where to? And what connection did my mother have with this place?

I heard an explosion, and objects breaking. I sighed. This life would take some getting used to.

**Yay~ Finished! I had a lot of crap to do (making my Tobi mask for Megacon [THIS WEEKEND!!!], homework, science project, ect…) so I apologize for the delay. I edited the other chappy's by the way (Thanks !), so check those out. Remember to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ehehe, I'm lazy, is the reason for this not getting out sooner :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Cheerios, Naruto, or Hidan :O But, oh, would I like to ^,,~**

I could describe mornings is the Akatsuki base as calm and peaceful. That there were birds chirping and the sun shining through my window. I could also say I awoke to the beautiful smell of eggs and bacon. Yeah, I could say that.

But then I'd be lying.

So instead, I woke up to rain pounding on the window pane and Tobi screaming that he's a good boy in the hallway outside my door. I sat up in my comfy bed and grabbed for the alarm clock. I peered at the little numbers on it. 10:07. Those boys were gonna pay for waking me up so early.

As I ran into to the hallway to go beat their asses, I smelled the waffles. They were burning!

Back in my world, mornings with burning food were rare. I was the cook of the house (and I was top-notch, if I do say so myself) and my mom didn't even go near the kitchen after the *ahem* incidents that she caused. Let's just say that making _toast_ isn't her specialty.

"What the fuck did you guys do!?" I shrieked as I entered the smoke-filled kitchen. They were stumbling about with a fire estinguisher putting out flames. They froze in their work when they heard me. I noticed Konan and Itachi weren't there and that Hidan's cloak was on fire.

"Tobi's a good boy!" Tobi whimpered in the corner, looking much like a beaten puppy. Damn, he's a helluva actor.

It's so weird. I've only been with the Akatsuki for about a day, and I already have them twirled around my finger. Weren't they supposed to be hardened criminals who answer to no one? What a bunch of sissys!

"We, um, tried to make pancakes for you, un," Deidara said, setting a scorched pan in the sink and leaning against counter with a bored expression. He was the only one who stands up to me; basically, the only with balls.

"Yeah, well, you failed," I deadpanned, "Now let's get something straight. I cook. Me, and only me. If anyone starts making anything but cereal, your asses will be handed to you ten times over. Got it?"

They all nodded their heads (minus Deidara, who just mumbled 'whatever' and waved his hand offhandedly) and hurried to clean up their mess. I gathered ingredients for breakfast and had Tobi wash the pans I needed.

I fried the eggs, let the bacon burn a bit, and toasted the bread. The group sat diligently at the kitchen table and waited for their food. Tobi helped with everything, all the while eyeing me (I think). I think he was expecting to flip out or something. Or maybe checking me out…

"Food's up!" I shouted, spooning everything onto plates. I heard murmurs of 'About fuckin time' and other obscene comments. I scowled as I entered the dining room, and I wasn't the only one. Itachi seemed to be frowning at the world most of the time, but unlike everyone else, I see fleeting half-smiles when I see him in the hallway.

"Oi, you let the damn bacon burn!" Hidan said through a mouth full of eggs. I stuck my tongue out and sat down, grabbing the syrup. Whoever cooks for these people got everything they would need and other crap. I heard someone make a disgusted noise as I let the liquid ooze onto the eggs.

Just as I was putting a spoonful of eggs into my mouth Konan walked in. Her eyes were pinkish and her hair was a mess, showing just how upset she had been. Pain walked behind with a hand on her back, guiding her towards the table.

She laughed a little bit when she saw the scorch marks on the stove as she passed it. Pain twitched. Hehe, the boys would be ratted on later.

"Avery, could I see you for a moment?" Konan asked, coming up beside me. I nodded and grabbed my plate. We both walked out without a sound, and no one noticed us.

We walked down the corridor towards what I was assuming was her room. It was a nondescript oak door with an exquisite lotus flower carved into the center. We walked in and I was surprised to see her room was very messy, with the bed sheets rumpled and various articles of clothing hung over furniture.

"I'm sure you're very confused with all that's happened," she started, sitting down on her bed and wringing her hands. I nodded, not able to find words. She hit the nail on the head, that's for sure. We sat in silence for a few minutes, while I ate my food.

"Ask me any question you want answers to," she said finally, "I'll be happy to give you the answers."

I closed my eyes and turned the cube necklace around in my hand. I hadn't taken it off since Mom gave it to me.

"What do the symbols on this necklace mean?" I asked, handing it to her. She looked at it for a minute and then tapped three of the sides. The cube glowed for a second, and then the symbols I could see disappeared. She handed it back to me.

"I will let you figure who what it reads," she said, smiling, "It's in Japanese, which I must say, you speak very fluently."

That made me double-take. "I-I'm not speaking Japa-" Then I actually listened to myself. Oh shit, I had been speaking a different language this entire time, and I hadn't even known it!? What else have I not noticed?

"Anything else?" she asked. I didn't even have to think for the next question. It had been brought up many times since I've arrived here in this world and it's bugged me to no end.

"What's the dealio with my mom?"

**And now you finally get to figure out what's the deal with Avery's mom!! I'll get the chap out soon!**

**Umm…Yeah. So, I've decided one chap a month, unless I feel especially grateful or I finish the chapter at school :) Also, go read my friend Rima-chan's fic's. I've favorite her, so she's on my page. As always, remember to review, ect. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Yeah…Forget the updating early thing…**

**Disclaimer: Never will I own Naruto, because then it would end up like this :P Never finished….**

I waited for Konan to answer, but she just sat there, looking at the floor. She opened and closed her mouth several time, but she never made a peep. It felt like an eternity before she actually said anything.

"As you know, your mother was my sister," she began, but her voice broke on 'was'. What does she 'was'? My mom was alive and well, wasn't she?

"She was born in this world and she had exceptional powers, even for people of this universe. What she used, though, was not ninjustu, but witchcraft.

"Witchcraft is very rare, except for that in some demons and the Shinigami. And, unfortunately, that was to be why she lost her…Anyways. Naturally, our parents were terrified when Ai—her original name— exhibited a bit of what she could do. A war was going on, and if anyone found out someone could do witchcraft, she would be killed on the spot.

"So, my parents pretended they didn't care anymore and sent us out onto the streets. And only two days later, the ninja came. Last thing we saw were the flames of our house burning.

"When Ai saw the place where she grew up burning, something in her snapped. She grew violent and ruthless, and every other war orphan she saw, she killed. One day, I told her, 'No more', and we went our separate ways."

Konan went on to tell me more about my mother, but I stopped listening. This was a lot to take in and I was freaking out a little bit. So, my mom really is a witch and not some freaky chick who attended the Woodstock thing. I guess that explains the wind-on-will stuff I'm able to do.

"Now, I have a question for you," she finished. I returned to reality (or what was left of it) and jumped.

"Oh, uh, sure. Lay it on me," I said.

"Did the demon say anything to you?" I paused and thought for a moment. It seemed so long ago, when, in reality, it was only about two weeks.

_"What? Who are you?" I asked, half-crazed. This was not Sadie, and before I did anything, I wanted answers!_

_She sighs. "First of all, I'm a demon, and every moment you spend asking questions, you're friend dies a bit at a time. Then I'll be body-less, and we don't want that. Second, I have no name, so you don't need to know. Now, open the door, girl, or your friend will die."_

_Jeez. Mom had mentioned something about demons. Something about energy stealing; I wasn't listening. Damn, does that mean everything she's told me about witchcraft was true?_

_"B-but, that means you'll take Sadie. Give Sadie back!" I demanded. Demon lady sighed again._

_"Me being a powerful demon, which is quite annoying sometimes, I've just about spent you're friend's energy. Oh well, I'll just take your body," she said boredly. Sadie's body sagged, and collapsed in a heap of limbs._

_"Well, girl, looks like your friend's dead. Tough break," a voice out of nowhere sighs. What is with her and sighing?_

_I kneel down beside my best friend. No pulse, no heartbeat, no breathing. Hot tears slid down my cheeks; that damn demon was going to pay!_

_I sucked in a breath; payback will have to wait. Excruciating pain washed over me. I struggled against the strong presence in my head._

_"Hmph, you're strong. You must be Aislinn's daughter," she scoffed. I paused. How did she know my mother?_

_"Darlin', your mother was the one who put me in this hell-hole!" she spat in my head. My mom? The weirdo Wiccan who believed that a cypress limb had the power of making you live longer?_

I sighed, tears pricking my eyes. I would most likely never see my mom again, and the last thing we said to each other was 'Goodbye'. And I guess that's what you say when you leave, but goodbye is like the final word. Goodbye is what you say before you die. Or something like that.

"Um, not really, no," I said, staring at my hands. I didn't have to look up to know that my…aunt was gazing at me with a concerned look. It was weird calling her my aunt, as I never had anyone to call aunt, and even though she was a family member, I didn't feel like dealing with her pity right at the moment. A raindrop fell from the ceiling onto my hand.

"I don't want to get your room wet, so I'll leave now," I sniffed, wiping the tears from my eyes. I stood and turned around, but something Konan said struck me as odd. She had said that my mom had 'lost' something.

"Konan, what you said earlier," I started, not turning around, "What did you mean by it?"

I heard her shift on the bed. "You're going to have to be a little more specific, Avery."

I spun on my heel, exasperated. "When you said she lost something! What did she lose?"

"You mean you don't know?" she asked, alarmed. Why did she think I was psychic along with having all these other freaky powers?

"What am I supposed to know?"

"Honey, your mother," she swallowed, "Is the demon."

**Urg, finally. This is soooo extremely late -.- I sorry! On the bright side, I have the next chapter typed up and I'll put it out next week~**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm trying again…I hope you appreciate my tries…**

**Disclaimer: If I did, Sasuke would've stayed a cute, innocent baby :3**

I stared at her blankly for a few moments before it hit me. It started as a numbness in my knees (I fell to them as the cause) and all the air I had sucked in previously suddenly whooshed out of me. Konan knelt beside me in concern.

"How is that even possible?" I asked, breathless. My mind was reeling and it felt like it was saying to me, 'Whaaaaaaa?'

So, if her information was correct, then the mom I had lived with my entire life wasn't even my mom. Did that make my life a lie? My breaths became quicker, and it became hyperventilation. Gusts of wind flew through the room, and I heard distant thunder.

"No, no, no," I chanted. I was still on my knees, Konan rubbing my back reassuringly. A tremor ran through my body and she stopped. I covered my face with my hands, expecting to cry. But even though I was upset, I didn't.

"Please don't cry," Konan pleaded. I sniffed a bit and rubbed my eyes. They felt itchy and irritated, so I kept rubbing. I sat back on my calves.

"Are you sure?" I said, "Are you absolutely sure?"

She swallowed. "Yes."

"B-but, she told me I was someone else's daughter," I protested, recalling that fateful day.

"Technically, you are," she said, "Allow me to explain?"

I nodded solemnly and she continued. What did she mean by technically, anyways?

"When we separated, a demon found her along her journeys and took over her body. Since Ai had an affinity for magic, she lasted a long time with her. When Ai was 16, we met up again in a no name town, and she was definitely pregnant. I helped her give birth to you, and she left again, taking you with her.

"I got a letter a few months later saying that the demon had been sealed, but had resulted in her death. Just before she died, she found someone to take care of you. I hope you were treated well," she finished.

I was quiet for a while. My fingers still covered my face, but I could feel her scrutinizing me, waiting for some reaction. I climbed to my feet slowly, hands still covering my face.

"Thank you," I whispered, "But I'm gonna leave now."

She bobbed her head, and through the cracks in my fingers, I could see her eyes were wet. To tell you the truth, mine were, too.

I turned around, opened the door, and walked out. The door swung shut behind me and as soon I heard the click, I was booking it down the hallway. I had no idea where I was going; I took random lefts, rights, and sometimes, I just ran forward.

Eventually, I got to a hallway that looked familiar. My pace slowed and I caught my breath; I kept walking. Each of the doors that I went by had symbols on it, and as I looked at them, they rearranged themselves into names. Itachi, Deidara (didn't know he spelled it that way)…

I was breathing regularly and was fiddling with my necklace when I reached it. The door had been painted with rainbows and lollipops on it—definitely Tobi's. I just stood there, feelings slightly retarded, wondering what made me stop.

"Avery-chan, were you waiting for Tobi?" a voice asked behind me. I bristled and swung around to punch the little creeper. I hit him as hard as I could; Tobi needs to learn not to sneak up on me! He didn't even move when I punched him, and when my fist made contact with his body, I didn't either. I was completely still.

And that, my friends, is the day I learned not to punch Tobi. It will break every bone in your hand.

"Ow, dammit!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, cradling my broken hand. I heard a small chuckle and glared at the offender.

"Maybe Avery-chan shouldn't hit others," he teased. I could almost _hear _the smirk behind his mask. I started to curl my hand and winced at the pain.

"May Tobi help Avery-chan with her hand?" Tobi asked. What is with him and his third-person speaking?

I snorted. "I highly doubt you can fix up my hand, Tobi."

"You'd be amazed at what people in this world can do," he whispered into my ear, "And besides, would you like to go back to Konan? She our medic." I was a lot shorter than him, so he had to lean down—a lot. Tobi was using his sexy voice again, and for the first time, I wondered why he acted different in front of people. I'll ask later… And I didn't want to go back to Konan.

"Alright, fine," I grumbled. He clapped like a kid in a candy shop and opened his door. I walked in after him (hesitantly, of course. He could be some weird pedo bear, you know?). The door closed as soon as I stepped onto the threshold; it was pitch black. I heard him rummaging for something, and almost like magic, a light turned on. He wasn't anywhere near the light.

I could hear a weird fizzling noise, like the air before lightning strikes, but I ignored it for the time being. I sat down on his bed and waited.

"So, Avery," Tobi turned around, a container in his hands, "How have your abilities been coming in?"

I shrugged. "It's on and off, I guess."

He opened the container and scooped out some white, goopy stuff. I stared at it as he came toward me, like he was carrying a spider towards me. Tobi knelt when he was in front of me and chuckled.

"It's just a salve to help with my healing chakras," he explained, "I don't hold a candle to Konan."

"Medic nin…?" I said. He took my hand and gently rubbed the goop on. I flinched at the slight pain when he then used both of his hands to hold mine. A soft, green glow surrounded them and the pain just sort of…stopped. It felt good…

I glanced at Tobi; he was concentrating on my hand. Through the hole in his mask, I could see his eye squinting. It was red.

I swallowed. Was it possible that this was the guy my mom (not my demon mom. The one who didn't give birth to me) told me to find? Itachi also had red eyes; who was my guy?

I looked at the wall behind him. "My, uh, foster mom told me to find a guy with red eyes."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"She probably meant Itachi," he said, letting go of my hand, "Be careful with your hand. It's still a bit fragile."

"No, I don't think so," I said slowly. I stood up and tested my hand. All good except for a dull ache in my knuckles; how the hell did he do that? I muttered a quick thanks and started to leave when he grabbed my wrist (not the one connected to my broken hand). I whipped my head back to look at him and glared at him.

"Look, I'm 75 percent sure you're the guy that's gonna help me, but if you don't want to, then let go!" I snapped, trying to yank my arm away from him. He held me in a vice-like grip.

"Why do you think it's me? What would possess you to think that I can help you? That I _will_ help you?" Tobi ground through his teeth. I opened my mouth to speak, but immediately closed it.

He was right. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I let my arm fall and he released me. My throat got tight and I sniffed.

"I just don't know what to do anymore," I whispered, hugging myself. Tobi hesitated a second before wrapping his arms around me tightly. He rested his head on mine and I could feel the cold of his mask on my scalp.

"Do any of us?"

**Urm. I didn't know how to end that. I wanted to put a kiss in there so bad, but I've been criticized on my quickness before. Review if you like it! If I get at least 5 reviews (more would be great, though), then I'll update! If not…**


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks much to everyone, especially Akatsuki-kunachi. You rock! I hope I didn't get Madara too OOC in there…

Disclaimer: Can this be the last one? Seriously….

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I woke up the next morning in my room; how I got there, I'll never know. After Tobi hugged me, I don't remember a thing. I sat up in the overly large bed, feeling like I woke up too early. One look at the clock answered my question: it was midnight.

It was pitch black, and while I'm not usually afraid it the dark, it seemed…eerier than normal. Like someone was watching me. I hugged my knees to my chest and shivered. My mom (I refuse to think of that demon as my mom) had always said that picturing things that make you happy can chase the fear away.

I decided to do just that, but when I did, I saw Tobi's face—mask. My eyes shot open and I blushed. I'd only know the guy for a few days and, suddenly, I think of him like that? I tried thinking reasonably; he was the one who saved from A) Starvation, and B) Zetsu.

That was rational, right?

The air got a bit colder as I thought, and I shivered again. The hairs on the back of my neck rose and not just because it was cold. I now knew I was being watched.

"Who's there?" I asked the darkness, my breath fogging in front of me. A whispered moan was the response; my breathing hitched. I reached over to the lamp and tried to turn it on; nothing. The power must be out.

I climbed out of bed, leaving the warmth of the covers behind. Regretfully, I realized, as the room was a lot colder than I thought. The bottom of my feet felt slightly numb as I walked towards the mirror in the corner.

I approached the glass hesitantly. There was an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach that told me to stay away. When I was finally in front of the mirror, I gasped in horror.

It wasn't me in the mirror.

A taller, older woman smirked down at me hungrily. Her red hair shone brilliantly and her blue eyes sparkled. Flames licked at her body, but she wasn't burned. I looked around me, frightened, to see that they only existed in that world.

She smiled maliciously and leaned forward, her head resting against the glass. I took a step back in alarm and her grin grew wider.

"I'm coming for you, my darling _daughter_," she breathed and then cackled loudly. My eyes widened as I realized who it was. In one, quick movement, she broke the mirror with a swipe of her hand. And with that everything shattered.

I fell through an endless expanse of black, trying to grab onto something, anything, to slow my fall. Wasn't this usually the place where you woke up, screaming your ass off, in your nice, cozy bed?

"I am going to make you suffer," she called from somewhere unknown. Tears streamed from my eyes, falling upwards.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I screamed. The demon only laughed in response and I felt my consciousness slip.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

"Avery, wake up!" someone shouted, shaking my body like a doll. I groaned, letting whoever it was know I was somewhat awake; they stopped the shaking. The person sighed with what I guessed was with relief.

"Leave me 'lone," I moaned. I tried curling into the fetal position, but was held in place by two hands. So I just sat there. Two seconds later, I was wriggling to get out of his grasp. His hand had licked me!

"Oh, gross!" I said. My eyes opened to reveal Deidara sitting on the edge on the bed grinning from ear to ear. I sat up quickly once he had released me, too quickly, and fell back. Deidara dropped his smile.

"Careful," he warned, laying a hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it off, glaring at him; he took it off in response. The blond helped me sit up again. As he did, I saw the mirror in the corner, and cringed, remembering the nightmare.

"What the hell was going on?" he asked, "You were screaming bloody murder in here."

I swung my legs over the side of my bed. I remember distinctly what happened after Tobi hugged me; he explained to me all about this world (the ninja's, and bijuu, and special people called Jinchuuriki). I fell asleep some time during then, and I suppose he carried me back to my room.

"I…I had a nightmare," I said. The nightmare was still fresh in my mind, too. I probably wouldn't ever forget it either.

Deidara gave me a strange look. "Must have been one hell of a nightmare."

I nodded solemnly and stood up. As soon as I took a step, the door was thrown open. Tobi stood in its place, mask on, rubbing the place where his eye should be. Didn't he ever take it off?

"Avery chan," he whined, "Tobi was trying to sleep!"

Deidara glared at the man-child that, if it were possible, he would have burst into flames. Hmm, I wonder if I could do that…? Not to Tobi, of course, but lighting things on fire by just thinking about it would be cool…

"Ah, Deidara-senpai, what are you doing in Avery-chan's room?" Tobi asked innocently, "You guys weren't…"

I flushed a scarlet red and the blond did the same, but while mine was in embarrassment, his was definitely in anger.

"Tobi, you git!" he shrieked (exactly as a girl would do…) and reached into a pouch strapped to his side. I didn't see him pull out anything, but a quick glance at his hand told me otherwise.

The mouth was chewing away at something, and a second later, a little white spider slid out of it. Tobi hadn't told me of the groups talents, so I was completely fascinated, forgetting my earlier embarrassment. Crap, I remembered…

The spider launched itself towards Tobi and attached itself to his arm. Apparently, this was bad, because Tobi ran, waving his arms around, out my door.

Deidara grinned sadistically. "Watch this."

"Katsu!"

There was an explosion out in the hall and I realized it was the spider that blew up. Panic exploded in my chest; was Tobi hurt? Of course he was! He was just in an explosion!

"Deidara, what did you do?" I looked at him, holding my breath.

"Nothing that would kill him," he said bitterly, "Leader-sama wouldn't like that."

I sighed and flopped down on the bed. "This is a really fucked up place, ya know."

He didn't answer, only ran a hand through his hair before getting up and saying good night. I sat there for a while, listening to everyone grumbling and complaining to being woken up. They all blamed Deidara (his explosion, anyways), but not one of them commented on my screams.

I was afraid to go back to sleep, so for the next three hours, I wondered aimlessly about what might be going on back home.

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I actually wanted this chapter to go much differently, but hopefully, I'll be able to get that in the next chapter. Most likely I will :D Thanks again, and don't forget to review :)


	8. Chapter 8

I am so pleased with your reviews :D I just want to say real quick, thanks so much for reading :D Hugs for everyone!

Disclaimer: I love it to death, but no :'(

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I stifled a yawn as Deidara gabbed about his art. It was now eight AM and, for the last 10 minutes, I had listened to the blonde's point of view of what can be considered art. It turns out there was this other guy in their group who made himself into a puppet because he thought art was forever. And the way Deidara talked about this guy, you'd think he loved him.

"So, what?" I said, "Were you two dating or something?"

He stopped. "What? No! I'm not gay!"

"Oh, well, I thought maybe, since you look like a girl," I drawled. He sputtered, raking through his hair with his fingers.

"I do not—Hey, get back here!"

.:.:.:.

I made eggs and toast, enough for us and everyone else, and we ate them in silence. One by one, the rest of the Akatsuki came in and took their share (save Kisame, who took a raw fish out of the fridge).

Konan was the last to arrive and she didn't eat anything. Instead, she walked over to where I was sitting in between Deidara and Hidan. Hidan was kinda decent once you got to know him (and he wasn't trying to kill you). I scooped some eggs into my mouth, wondering if I should've put some cheese on it.

"Avery," Konan whispered into my ear, "Pain wants to see you."

I shrugged and swallowed. "'Kay. Lead the way."

I stood, grabbing my plate of eggs. Only Deidara looked to see where I was going, and even then, he really didn't seem to care. As she led me to wherever Pain was, I ate my eggs. I hoped that the reason Pain asked for me wasn't bad; maybe he wanted to get rid of me. I ate a little faster.

Konan stopped in front of a familiar door. I recognized it as the meeting room door and took a step closer to open it. She beat me to it and ushered me inside, looking more than a bit agitated. The door closed and it was dark. Very dark.

Fear gripped me and I started to shiver, the plate falling out of my hands and breaking on impact. I turned back to the door and tried to open it; locked. My mind was going crazy trying to figure out what to do. Hyperventilating, I fell to my knees, cutting them on the shards of the plate. I winced as I imagined all the things that could get me here in the dark and I was scared. I had never been this scared in my entire life.

A light flickered into existence and I paused. The tiny flame hovered right in front of me, illuminating a small amount of space; no candle or anything. I stared at it, forgetting my meltdown. I snapped out of my trance when I heard a chair creak. I wasn't alone.

"Your powers are supposedly triggered by strong emotion. I can't say that will be useful." The voice was dead. I knew who it was, though, but I didn't answer. A stronger light blinked into existence. The room was exactly as I remembered it; big table, twelve chairs, and Pain sitting at the head. He looked exactly the same as last time (minus the drunken blush).

"You're not drunk this time, right?" I asked, standing up shakily. The flame followed me; it got close to my face several times, but there was no heat radiating from it. In fact, it seemed _cold_.

He sighed and his eyebrow twitched. "Somebody thought it would be humorous to spike my coffee. They have been punished accordingly."

I can only imagine.

"Anyways, I called you here to tell you about your first mission," he said, sliding a manila folder across the oak table. I put on my apathetic face, although my heart was still pounding from my ordeal, and skimmed through the contents. I saw a grainy picture of an old man and immediately grew suspicious.

"And why do you need me to go take care of an old man?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest.

Pain smirked. "The only 'taking care' you'll be doing is taking care he goes to his grave."

"W-what?" I sputtered. Did he want me to…kill this guy? I can't kill a person; that'd be murder! I'd go to jail (even if it was just juvie, I'd still be in there forever!)

"He was an Akatsuki benefactor up until a few months ago. He decided to split and leak information on our bases," he explained, "As this is your first mission and technically a training outing, I'll assign you a team to go with you."

"So wait—that's it?" I asked, "You want me to kill a guy, just like that?"

"Would you prefer we kill you?"

I realized something very important right then. This world lived by these rules: its dog eat dog. There was no way I was leaving this place in one piece or even alive if I refused this 'mission'. So I shook my head and stood, snatching up the folder before I spun on my heel to leave. The air around me was cold, my breath fogging in front of my face. I guess snow was a good portrayal of how I felt at the moment.

"I haven't dismissed you yet," he said. I ground my teeth and turned back around, the space around me scorching. I was surprised at how volatile my magic was; one little tweak in my emotions and the weather changed.

"Use your powers as much as possible on this mission. And if you don't kill our former benefactor yourself, I will know," he deadpanned, "You will leave in an hour. Pack light. Dismissed."

I rolled my eyes and left. There goes my plan of having my teammate kill this guy instead. I wonder who he'll choose anyways….I pondered this, not paying attention to where I was going (again).

"Oof!" As punishment for my inattentiveness, I bumped into someone (thank god I wasn't running. Don't want another repeat of rock hard chest Tobi). I blinked at the…man in front of me.

"Avery-san," Zetsu said in greeting, "**You look delicious**."

A shiver ran up my spine. His weird two-person-one-body thing, not to mention the big green plant surrounding his head, was so weird. And what did he mean by my looking delicious? I'm pretty sure it was some sort of compliment, but I don't think it was meant something normal…

"Er, hi, Zetsu," I said, scooting around him. He didn't give me a second glance, just kept on walking.

So I kept wandering around till I found my room. I had an hour; what to do? I guess packing would be a good idea. Pein said to pack light; toiletries, a change of clothes, undies…Was I missing anything…?

"Avery-chan~!" I heard a childish voice shout. The door banged open and I flinched at the noise. I gasped when he suddenly hugged me from behind.

"Tobi, what the hell?" I groaned. The masked man child let go and spun me around.

"Isn't it great? We're going on a mission together," Tobi said happily. I groaned. Despite having to kill a person…

This was going to be a long mission.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Alrighty. I hope you liked it! I also hope I'll be able to put fluff in the next chap (though, I've been doing pretty good about not putting romance in, so we'll just see how it goes ^^) Remember to review! I won't update till I get at least five :P

-Michi (Uchiha =^.~=)


	9. Chapter 9

**Special chap. Writing it in third-person due to difficulties in first-person. Enjoy ^^**

**Disclaimer: If I owned, Akatsuki would win :3 And Sasuke would be, like, not crazy and insane with revenge…He's gonna die TT^TT**

Avery sat on a stool waiting in the Akatsuki kitchen. She huffed angrily and leaned back onto the table; 40 minutes of the hour that was allotted had passed and she was the only one ready. Her fingers drummed restlessly on the marble table top.

Five more minutes passed and still no sign of her teammates. Avery's eyes wandered aimlessly before they settled on her ratty backpack. It had survived the trip into this world but a lot of her things had disappeared. Most of the clothes she owned now were hand-me-downs from the Akatsuki members—and most of those were too big.

Thoughts of clothes left her mind and Tobi danced into it. She wondered what could be behind that mask. '_A face, of course…right_?' she thought uncertainly. Avery had always been careful to not make assumptions lightly since…the demon. She shuddered.

"What are you doing?" The voice brought her back to the real world with a snap. Where her head had been resting on her hand was now flat on the table top.

"Ugh, thanks," she groaned, lifting her head up to spot a familiar person, "Uh, hi…?"

"Itachi," the raven said, "I'll ask again: What are you doing?"

The brunette pursed her lips. "I don't really know. Waiting for some no show teammates so we…can go…kill…a…guy."

She froze, staring at the spot above Itachi's shoulder, her mission finally sinking in. She was supposed to murder someone! And what's worse, Pain had made it seem like it was no big deal. '_No big deal my ass_!' she thought.

"Good luck, then," he whispered. Itachi took two steps toward her, brushing past her still figure. The moment his hand touched hers, Avery broke out of her stupor. She yelped as pain shot through her, hitting her heart directly. The stool tipped forward as she coughed violently, spilling her onto the floor. Itachi watched, eyes lighting up with concern, until a familiar man-child rushed into the room. The weasel left the room quietly as Tobi knelt in front of the girl.

"Avery-chan, what's wrong?" Tobi cried, bringing Avery into his lap. A little trickle of blood appeared on her chin and the masked man wiped it away with his sleeve before she noticed. Her hacking had lessened a somewhat when Itachi left the room; they were no more than forced gasps now.

"I-I…" she panted, the words she wanted to say not leaving her mouth. '_What _was_ that_?' she asked her thoughts, though they had nothing to say. Still trembling from the ordeal, she snuggled into Tobi's arms, hugging herself. The man was stiff for a moment before slowly wrapping his arms around her quivering body. He was surprised that a balloon of air surrounded her like a shield.

They left ten minutes later after Avery had consoled herself. She still had her air shield up, keeping Tobi a short distance away from her. He kept shooting glances at her as they left the base, trying to figure out what harmed her.

"I'm fine, Tobi," she said after they had started along their path, "Stop worrying about me."

Madara sighed, letting his façade drop. "Just tell me what happened, and I'll stop."

Avery stopped in her tracks. She looked straight into the single eye hole in his mask to look at the red eye. The circles were spinning, and she knew that if she tried anything, he was ready to fight. '_And I don't think he'll hold back any' _she thought.

"All I know is that there is something wrong with Itachi," she said firmly, "I felt it then, and I feel it now."

The raven was silent for a moment. This mere girl had felt Itachi's disease (it explained the coughing fit that had resulted in blood) and she didn't really even know it. He smirked behind his mask; this new ability of hers could prove to be useful…

Madara pulled off his glove with his teeth. "Touch my hand."

"What? No!"

"Do it," he commanded, practically shoving the hand in the young witches face. She took a step back, glaring angrily at the man.

"You know what? Fine." Avery grasped his scarred hand and squeezed, hoping to cause a little bit of pain to her companion. He didn't even flinch and neither did Avery, much to her surprise. Ten seconds went by and nothing.

"Um," she said, unsure, "I guess there's nothing wrong with you…."

She lets their arms fall but still gripped his hand. Avery could feel a growing blush cross her face as she gazed into his eye. Madara's eye slowly faded to black when she loosened her grip on his hand and unconsciously entwined her fingers with his.

Madara tried activating his sharingan again, desperately, but was unsuccessful. It seemed that Avery was able to suppress his kekkai genkai, and, once again, not know it. He smiled. Another useful ability that was his.

"We need to get going," he said abruptly, ending the moment. Their hands separated when the raven turned away, walking quickly down the path. Avery stared at his retreating figure before running to catch up.

"Wait up!"

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"One room, please," Madara said to the hotel concierge. The brunette at his side stared at her feet, ignoring the hotel talk. They had arrived in their targets town a little over thirty minutes ago. It was a lavish town with tall buildings ('Nothing like the skyscrapers from home' she thought) and druggies around every corner ('Glad to see some things haven't changed'). Her companion led her to a three star hotel, at best, that he claimed was suitable.

"Enjoy your stay," the man said, bowing to the two, "I hope you and your wife find your room pleasing."

Avery's cheeks flamed. She didn't look that old, did she? She was fourteen, for god's sake! 'And married ?' she thought vehemently. She sputtered as the masked man drew her away. And things just got worse when she saw the room.

Pink hearts coated everything from the lamps to the bed. Even the bed was heart shaped. The lamps had pink bulbs in them and gave a, guess what, soft pink glow. The witches head swiveled as she took everything in, a look of horror on her face.

"Well," Madara drawled, hands on hips, "This is awkward."

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Thanks for reading! Ooh! And guess what! The awesome Desert Moon drew a picture of Avery and Madara (course, it was a contest I won, but who cares ^^)!

http:/ michi-tan. deviantart. com/#/d2xd331

I'll try and go back to first person next chap…Just wasn't feeling it this one…

~Michi


	10. Chapter 10

Woot! Chapter ten! Though, I must say, the reviews are slowing ;~; Thanks for the ones I got, anyways :)

Disclaimer: Don't own the Akatsuki~ Wish I did, though~

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I watched Tobi flit around the room from the bed. My legs were folded, arm resting on my knee. All he was doing really was emptying his pockets among other things. Like, for example, he'd do some weird things with his hands (Tobi said they were crucial when doing jutsu, whatever those were) in front on a scroll and, in a poof, weapons would appear from nowhere. It was pretty cool at first, but after the first five, in got boring.

"Hey, Tobi." He grunted. "You mind if I go out?"

He glanced my way before reaching into a pouch on his side. Tobi pulled out a black blade no bigger than my forearm. It was sharpened to a, well, sharp point at the end. He tapped finger on the tip and then took a step towards me; I gulped.

He chuckled. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt that pretty little face of yours. Just take it for protection."

I clutched the blade by the skinny handle, fingering the blade. I asked what it was called.

"It's a kunai, commonly thrown," he explained, "I don't recommend you doing that though."

Tobi then gave me some bills (not American bills, of course), taught me their money system, and then said to be back before dark. My mom used to tell me that, I thought wistfully as I left the room. I squeezed both the bills and blade in their respective pockets. I hope I wouldn't have to use the kunai…

The money was a different thing all together. I planned to spend the entire wad (about 12,000 yen, if I heard right). I remember something Sadie told me one about Japan. There was this show called 'Naruto' that sparked her interest in Japanese culture. When I got outside, I walked slower as the memory unfurled.

_-BloOoOoOoOop Flashback :P—_

"_And how was your school day?" I asked Sadie as we were walking home from middle school. Her long blond hair whipped towards my face as she turned sharply towards me. From about eight months of experience, I ducked, avoiding the non-deadly collision. I knew she didn't do it on purpose, but it still annoyed me how she wouldn't cut it. I mean, seriously, two feet was a bit long, and I told her so daily. She wouldn't do it, though; she said it was her dream to have her hair all the way to her ankles. _

"_Oh, it was great," she gushed, bouncing on her heels, "They finally got to Japan in Social Studies!"_

_I rolled my eyes at her enthusiasm, permitting a small smile to grace my lips. "Oh, really?"_

"_Really! And guess what! We're going to be spending two weeks on it! Gods, I'm so happy I could scream," she sighed happily. I listened dutifully as Sadie launched into a speech about why she loved Japan so much. It lasted the entire way home, and even then, she wouldn't shut up about it. _

"_Here." She shoved a piece of paper in my hands. I looked at the slightly crumpled paper; some weird Asian guy and symbols I could safely assume to be Japanese adorned it. Raising an eyebrow, I asked her what it was._

"_Silly! It's 1000 yen. Roughly ten dollars here," she explained. _

"_Whats it for? You taking me to Japan or something?"_

_She smiled. "Just a gift between two friends."_

_-BlOoOoOoOoOop End—_

Tears pricked my eyes. We were in seventh grade then; it'd been three years. I still remembered what I had done with the money.

Shoved it into a jewelry box that now sat in the back of my closet. I think.

My vision blurred and I rubbed at my eyes, quickening my pace. When I looked up, I realized I had no idea where I was. Even worse, I appeared to be in a bad part of town. I walked on, trying to ignore the intense stares most of the people were sending me. Most were men, thickly muscled ones that could overcome a failed P.E student like me. The few not in this category, were some pretty girls (couldn't have been older than me) in skimpy little skirts hanging on the arms of said men.

How the hell had I gotten here?

"Hey, little girl," a bald man called from down the alley, "Why don't you play with us?"

Several men heaved themselves up from their position on the wall, smirking. I froze as they loped towards me, leaving the sluts behind. Every foot step echoed off the walls. My heart raced and sweat beaded up on my forehead. I could smell the beer wafting off the guy nearest me; mixed with the god awful smell of pee and the dumpster a few yards away, it was unbearable. I scrunched my nose up, and took a step back as they got closer, bumping into something hard. Strange, I don't remember there being a wall behind me….

"Say, you're cute," a feminine voice whispered into my ear, breath hot against my cheek. An arm snaked around my waist, chilling me to the bone. "Let's go back to my place."

"N-no, thanks," I bit out, not daring to move. I carefully inched my hand towards pocket; I had to get that kunai! Just as I felt the flap of material, the creep behind me grabbed my wrist. The guys circled us, snickering.

She 'tsked'. "I wouldn't grab that kunai, if I were you, hon'. I could easily snap that skinny little arm in two before you had a chance to throw it."

So it was used for throwing? Wish I had known that sooner; I would've kept it out. I started wriggling in her strong grasp and, surprisingly, she let me go. I stumbled forward, relief flooding my face. Somehow this was funny, as every one of them burst out laughing.

"Hey, boss! Look at this. She's thinks she's getting away," a blond, wiry man sneered. My eyes widened. I spun around to look at this 'boss'. As soon as I did, though, the blond grabbed my arms and pinned them behind my back. I screamed and a hand was clapped over my mouth.

Steadily looking down, I saw a pair of pointed boots step into my line of vision. A slim finger slid beneath my chin and lifted my head. What I saw terrified me.

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Sorry it was so short ^^ Felt like it needed a real cliffy :P By the way, I'm thinking about changing the title, so any suggestions are appreciated =^.^= Remember to review as always~

~Michi-tan 3


	11. Chapter 11

What happened to all my reviewers D: I promise a super extra long chappy if I get some new reviewers ^^ Anyways, I'll have my OC Zeer give the disclaimer.

Zeer: Michi does not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form. She owns Avery and the demon, along with Sadie. But she really doesn't care about Sadie…

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_Last time 8D_

_Steadily looking down, I saw a pair of pointed boots step into my line of vision. A slim finger slid beneath my chin and lifted my head. What I saw terrified me._

It was the woman from my nightmare. Not one thing was different, except maybe her hair. It was more brownish than red now, but still shone just as brilliantly. Her eyes, a clear blue, had malice dancing in them. And although she was pretty, and I'm sure any passerby would think she was an angel, all I saw was evil.

"Miss me, hon'?" she hissed, taking her finger from under my chin to pinch my cheek, hard, probably making it bruise.

"Oh, yeah totally. The fact that you murdered Sadie makes me all fuzzy inside," I said sarcastically, all the while glaring at her. She grinned, looking pleased with herself. She took a step back and bowed, toe pointing forward.

"I don't like to disappoint," she said, straightening. The demon gestured at the guy holding my arms and I was let go. My heart was beating a mile a minute, adrenaline coursing through my veins. The demon strolled in front of me, taking obvious pleasure in my discomfort. I moved into a defensive stance I learned in karate when I was 7. It probably wouldn't do much against someone who could get inside your head, though.

"Totally right," she said, smirking. My eyes widened considerably; she had read my mind! My arms dropped for a second before I scrambled to compose myself. She grinned menacingly at my falter. I will admit that her reading my mind caught me off guard.

"How did you find me?" I asked, trembling where I stood. She scoffed and rolled her eyes before snapping her fingers. We were suddenly surrounded by darkness. Or maybe it was blackness, as I could see her slim figure perfectly. I heard the distant shouts on her henchman (why does that sound low for an all powerful demon?), so I figured we couldn't be very far from the alley. I turned to peer into the void that existed all around.

"There's nothing to see," that woman drawled. I spun on my heel to glare at her. She sat demurely at a glass table that definitely had not been there a few seconds ago. She sipped at a porcelain teacup that I recognized as the exact one my mom used for tea readings. As a flash of anger swept through me, I felt a cold wind gust towards the demon. I decided to experiment and poured all my hatred for her into the gust and it rushed faster until I could actually see the air. She didn't move as it made a funnel around her, whipping her hair around her head. In fact, she kept drinking whatever was in that cup like nothing was happening. I clenched my hands into fists, willing my entire being into the onslaught. Little ice crystals shone in my mini tornado and I imagined them cutting deep into her skin. I felt a sadistic smile creep onto my face as I pulled out the blade from my pocket—

And froze.

She suddenly stood in front of me. Everything moved in slow motion as she lashed out at me, hand flying out towards me. I was slow to react, though somehow I managed to dodge her clawed hand. Her nails missed my nose by a hairs breadth. I skipped back a few feet and she followed my every step, each time clawing at my face. My tornado had dissipated as soon as she broke my concentration, so it was all up to my fists now. I'm screwed.

With a jolt, I remembered the blade in my pocket. Silently thanking Tobi, I slipped it out once I had gotten a far enough distance away from her. The action didn't manage to escape her notice and the demon smiled horribly. I didn't have time to wonder why though, as the cold blade suddenly grew scalding hot. I screeched as I dropped it and, instead of a clatter as it hit the ground, it melted into a metallic substance that pooled on the floor.

"I told you not to touch it," she scolded.

I pulled a face. "Because one should always listen to what a demon says."

"Good point," she hissed and swiped at my face again. She didn't miss this time. I stumbled and touched my cheek gently. Blood was already seeping out of the wound.

"Never let your guard down, my darling daughter." She cupped my chin, forcing me to look at her. My eyes narrowed at that beautiful face; my attempt at trying to look brave.

"I'm not afraid of you," I said, making myself stand a little taller. In truth, I was terrified.

She smiled. "Aren't you now? You think you're so high and mighty, don't you?"

For a second, as I searched her eyes, I thought I saw a glimmer of something other than that dominant evil. I dismissed as a trick of the light. Too bad there was no light.

"Well," she sighed, "Guess it's time to kill you."

"How about not?"

I gasped; I recognized that voice. But how…? A wide grin spread itself on my face and I wrenched myself free of her grip. The demon snarled at attempted to grab at me again. The next second, she was handless. I stared at the bleeding stump while she went on growling whipping her head around to search for the offender. A derisive laugh issued for her lips as she spotted Tobi, leaning casually against nothing.

"Akuma," he greeted, nodding his head slightly. The masked man glanced over at me and I saw his eye flash. I looked down and was surprised to see my borrowed shirt in shreds. I hastily covered myself with my arms.

"Madara," she replied, "How pleasant to see you after all these years."

"The pleasures all yours," he said, straightening. She was the third person to have called him that. Is it like a codename or something?

'Madara' reached for something on his back and Akuma took this as her chance. She rushed at him, screaming inaudible words at him. Just when I thought she would get to him, he pulled a large fan from his back and swept her away. Her stump seemed to have grown back within that time and she came back at him, clawing with both hands. I gasped and covered my mouth when she wrenched his weapon away. It looked as if she cornered him when Tobi did some of those funky hand signs and blew her away—literally. Akuma started speaking again and, this time, I could hear what she said.

"Are you trying to protect your _baby girl_?" she taunted. I froze and so did Tobi. What exactly did she mean by that?

She cackled. "Did you leave little Avery in the dark, Mada-kun?"

He darted towards the demon, a blade similar to the one that she melted in his hand. I had a severe sense of déjà vu as they dodged and slashed. They got closer the place where I was standing and I was forced to move, though as I was, someone grabbed me from behind.

I immediately knew it was Akuma. The menace rolled off of her in waves to where it became her aura. I forced myself not to cry out as her hand circled my neck.

"One more move Madara and I will kill her," she threatened, applying pressure to her grip. I clawed at her hand, though it didn't faze her in the least. Tobi stood only about three feet away and he did nothing.

"Don't you want your daughter alive?"

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Sorry about the lateness -.- Also sorry about the suckiness. Also (last one), I'm just experimenting with the father/daughter thing. If you guys don't like it, I'll totally rewrite it ^^ And I won't make excuses for the lateness (though I have plenty) Thanks for reviewing ^^


	12. Chapter 12

I am so very pleased with my reviews :) I was not disappointed in the least with them, and you'll find out why~ By the way, this is yet again another 3rd person POV chapter :D

Disclaimer: Yeah, totally. I'm 'Kishi in disguise! –rolls eyes- Ignore that. No, I don't

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_Last time_

_"One more move Madara and I will kill her," she threatened, applying pressure to her grip. I clawed at her hand, though it didn't faze her in the least. Tobi stood only about three feet away and he did nothing._

_"Don't you want your daughter alive?"_

Avery stood there, shocked at this new piece of information. She wondered if it were true, though. If she interpreted Tobi's reaction right, this relation was a new one on him, too. The demoness laughed maniacally behind her, still holding Avery's throat in a vice like grip. The teen stared out at the lone figure of Tobi, trying to send mental messages to help her. Her blue eyes widened considerably as he seemed to disappear before her eyes; the laughing stopped. Tobi was gone and Avery was as helpless as when he was here.

Avery tried to glance up at Akuma but the demon lifted her and squeezed her neck tighter, her nails digging into soft skin. The brunettes cry tore through the silence as she clawed at the demons hand. Her breaths came in short gasps and spots began to enter her vision. The desperate attempts to free herself became feeble. She finally let herself go limp. Avery's eyesight started to fade…

And then, suddenly, she was on the ground, gasping for air. It wouldn't come fast enough, so she tried conjuring something with her powers. A little air sphere appeared in front of her mouth and she immediately swallowed it, loving the feeling of oxygen in her lungs. She shakily stood, as her strength was not yet replenished and looked towards the sounds of battle. She gaped at what she saw.

Tobi's mask was gone, its crumbled remains strewn everywhere. His short raven hair stuck up at odd angles and she could see he had two eyes, each red. His pale skin glistened with sweat. 'He's not too bad looking' Avery thought, and then mentally slapped herself. 'He could be my dad!'

Avery saw Tobi stab Akuma's stomach with the kunai. She herself winced in pain and looked down at herself. A dark bloom spread her torn shirt, red seeping out of everywhere else. The brunette touched the wound softly with her fingertips.

"Tobi…"she murmured. Somehow, he heard her and glanced over. His eyes widened in alarm. Tobi slipped away from the demoness using his shifting technique. He was by Avery's side in an instant. She fell sideways into his arms.

"Stay away," he growled when Akuma strode towards him. She held up her hands in front of her in surrender.

"Jeez, calm it down," she said, smirking, "You know it's against _her_ morals to attack the defenseless."

Tobi knew exactly who 'she' was and, yes, it was against _her_ morals. He relaxed a tiny bit, not enough to be caught off guard, though. Who knows how long _her_ defenses would last? He looked at Avery's face and then down to her stomach. The blood loss took a lot out of her, though it was only a fraction of what he'd lost in earlier times. He held a calloused hand firmly to the wound, trying to staunch the bleeding.

"Why'd you tell her that?" he asked Akuma, not taking his eyes off of Avery as gently lifted her unconscious body into his arms bridal style.

"I wanted to see her reaction." She shrugged. "It was amusing to see her react the way she did."

He looked her in the eyes. They were the same shade as Avery's, though the hate that filled them made them seem completely different. In Avery's, there was a defiant fire that Tobi found…interesting.

"Are you not bound by the Demons Code of Truth?" he taunted. Her face puckered like she'd licked a lemon.

"There will be repercussions later, I assure you."Akuma gripped the kunai that was lodged in her stomach firmly before ripping it out. She never flinched; in fact, the demon seemed to enjoy the pain. She held the bloody blade tighter and quickly sliced her wrist open. An identical cut appeared on Avery's.

Akuma grinned sadistically. "You can't hurt me without hurting her. And I assure you, I'll give you plenty of opportunities to try and find your way around this. But, truth is, you won't.

"With that, I'll take my leave."

Tobi didn't bat an eye when she and the blackness surrounding them disappeared. He simply walked out of the alley where they entered the mindscape and walked towards the hotel.

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Avery awoke in the heart filled hotel room, disoriented and groggy. Her headache threatened to split her head open as she sat up on the fluffy bed. The brunette hissed in pain and collapsed back onto the pink and red pillows. In addition to her migraine, it seemed she also had stitches on her stomach. She lifted her navy shirt (not shredded and a different color than my borrowed one, she noted) and counted off the stitches.

"Good morning," Tobi greeted Avery as he walked through the door, a tray in his hands. She hastily slid her shirt back down and sat up quickly, once again falling back onto the pillows with a grunt of pain. Tobi shot her a look of concern and sat down beside her on the bed.

"Morning," Avery said through clenched teeth. This was partly due to the pain she was in (getting stabbed with a kunai will do that to you) and partly to the fact the she just remembered what had happened. The taunting, the stabbing…Not to mention that small piece of information that now took over her entire being.

"I'll get that bitch," she hissed, then her eyes widened. "You said morning. How long have I been out?"

"Probably about seven hours. Nothing to get worked up over," he said, shrugging as best he could with the tray still in his hands.

She blinked. "Oh, okay then."

They sat in silence. Avery noted offhandedly that Tobi had a new mask on, same as always. She wondered if maybe she had only thought she had seen him with his mask off.

"Tobi, can I ask you something?"

"Eat first," he said, gesturing to the tray, "Then you may."

The tray had nothing more than a glass of water, an orange, and two pieces of toast. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"That's it?" she asked, struggling to prop herself up without causing too much pain to herself.

Tobi shrugged. "If you want to become a ninja, you need to adjust your eating habits."

"What about the Akatsuki base? Don't we just eat there?" she huffed, grabbing a piece of toast and nibbling on it. 'Could use some butter' she thought absentmindedly.

"That won't happen often," he explained, "Very rarely do we all get together like that. Usually it's just to report missions and receive new ones."

Once again, there was silence. Avery ate her skimpy breakfast, wishing she could have some Fruit Loops. More than once she felt Tobi's eyes on her, but she kept her head down, not wishing to create an awkward moment for herself. When the girl finished, she decided she wanted answers.

"Look, that demon said something," she said quietly, "I want to know if it's true."

"What did she say?" he asked. Avery narrowed her eyes at him.

"You know what she said. Tell me if it's true." She played with a little piece of bedspread, one with a cupid heart on it.

"Ask the right questions and I will."

She 'tch'ed angrily. "Fine, fine. Are you really my dad?"

Tobi sighed and folded his hands in his lap. Avery realized his Akatsuki coat was missing; he had a turtleneck, black pants, and armor plates on both his shirt and hanging from his waist. The raven slowly reached up and took his mask off. Avery watched him solemnly. She was surprised, though, when he leaned closer to her face, lips slightly parted. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact. When it didn't come, she opened them again to find Tobi only about an inch from her face.

"I never met your mother," he whispered. Then his lips crashed onto hers.

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Eh? Eh? See? This is like, way ahead of schedule. I blame the TV for being off XD Remember to review~

~Michi-tan

PS-If you get any idea's whatsoever, I'll gladly take them and try to put it into the story ^^


	13. Proceed to Next Chapter

Dear Readers-

This announcment is now null and invalid. Please proceed to the next chapter to continue the series

-Michi-tan (Lol)


	14. Chapter 13

Sorry for the lateness D: Thanks for being patient! This chapter is crap, but I hope you like it anyways! Happy Holidays!

PS: Who all has a Gaia? If you want to friend me (or put mean stuff on my profile, whatever you want it's up to you), my username is Zexichu ^^

Disclaimer: Own Naruto, I do not.

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_Last time_

_"I never met your mother," he whispered. Then his lips crashed onto hers._

The kiss was amazing, incredible. His lips were so soft and Tobi was gentle, as if he were afraid to indulge. It was nice to know I wasn't kissing my dad, too. I closed my eyes, applied a bit of pressure and, suddenly, he had me pushed back against the heart-shaped pillow. My arms acted of their own accord and looped themselves around his neck with my hands buried in his spiked hair. Little snowflakes floated above us, seeming to come from nowhere. I smiled into the kiss; this was even better than that make-out session I had with Jeremy Vane in middle school.

Then, all of a sudden, he pulled away. I heard him leave the bed, though _how_ was a mystery; the sound was almost imperceptible.

I propped myself up on my elbows to look at him. He stood a few feet away, poofing weapons back into scrolls. I sighed, letting myself drop down again. It was nice while it lasted. The kiss was one of those mind-numbing kisses that they describe in books. I've realized how little detail those books actually had.

"We have to go," Tobi said shortly, glancing at my still figure. The air around me grew cold.

I sat up and scoffed. "So you kiss me and then leave me right in the middle of it. What next? You gonna pretend like it never happened?"

Tobi looked genuinely surprised. Then he chuckled and walked back towards me, laying a hand on my cheek and kissing me gently.

"I love that about you; that fiery attitude, of yours," he told me warmly, making me blush. Everyone back home hated my attitude. "Anyways, I just remembered _we_ still have a mission."

I groaned as I fell back against the fluffy pillows. With the whole ordeal we had, I had completely forgotten about that I was a hitman for the time being.

"Can't you just do it?" I asked, sounding pitiful, "Where I come from, people don't just…"

I trailed off, knowing that people do murder jobs everyday; even for fun. Shivering a little, I curled up into a ball, ignoring the pain in my stomach.

Tobi laid a hand on my head. "Just don't think about it. The only thing you have to do is get the job done."

I nodded slightly, making some hair fall in my face. Before I had a chance to move it, Tobi swiped it away. My heart started to beat rapidly; that simple action felt so intimate. I felt my face heat up rapidly and heard Tobi chuckle.

"I went and got you some clothes while you were asleep," he told me, "They're in the bathroom. I suggest you get ready soon."

I was out of the bed in a flash and in the bathroom. The door slammed behind me and I leaned heavily against it. What was I going to do?

Tobi led me through the streets of the foreign town towards the grungier parts of town. I really didn't care, though. I was just relishing the feel of clean—clean teeth, clean hair, clean clothes….clean everything. I did hesitate a little though when he started down a beyond filthy alley that almost made me gag. It was worse than the alley that Akuma trapped me in.

I quickly jogged to Tobi's side when he showed no signs of waiting. Might've helped to have paid attention to where I was going, though. Tobi had stopped and, before I realized it (I was looking down at ground, okay?), I ran smack into his back. Let me tell you; it wasn't a soft impact.

"Oww," I groaned, rubbing my head and ass. I saw the masked man look down at me and I imagined he probably had a bemused expression on his face. I glared indignantly up at him. The whole effect of looking mean was shattered, though, when something wet seeped into the seat of my pants. I yelped, jumping up and brushing off whatever was there. Tobi was chuckling now (he does that a lot, doesn't he?). I glared again, hoping to get the 'if-looks-could-kill' effect.

"If you're done making faces," Tobi says calmly, "I'd like to proceed with the mission."

Grumbling, I felt a small raincloud form above my head and sprinkle rain on my head, effectively relaying my emotions. In truth, my feelings were a tad bit more complicated than just an emo cloud. Fear, anger, annoyance…Just to name a few.

I was not prepared for what happened next. There I was, sorting out my feelings, and then suddenly, I was whisked off the ground by our own masked wonder. I screamed at the top of my lungs, clutching his neck for dear life. And when Tobi touched down on the roof of the building adjacent to the alley, he didn't stop. He'd jump again and again on the roofs, each building getting higher. The whole ordeal couldn't have lasted more than a minute, but it felt like forever. And the outcome? A fear of heights.

We finally stopped on a medium-sized business office. The view wasn't as impressive as, say, the one on Sears Tower ought to be, but still pretty. My head started drifting up towards the sky, but Tobi prevented me from cloud watching. He laid a hand on my head and turned me around to face him. His mask was on the side of his head now, showing me his gorgeous face.

"Showtime, alright?" he said, keeping his hand on my head, "I can feel his chakra coming from the third floor. You're going to go through the door over there—" Tobi pointed to the fire escape thing (why were there fire escape on the roof?)—"And down. Strike down anyone who comes into your path. If you get hurt though, don't hesitate to scream. I'll be there in a heartbeat."

This would've seemed corny a week ago, but knowing what he's capable of (and probably others are, too), it just…I don't know. I liked the feeling it gave me when he said that. My eyebrows knitted together as I realized something.

"So you're not coming with me?" I asked. I felt a pang of pure terror before it subsided to just worry.

He sighed. "No. But I'll be here in case you need me."

That was to know; honestly. But I still didn't know if I'd be able to kill the guy and anyone who crossed me when I came to them. A piece of advice my mom had one given me floated into my mind.

"_Picture them in their underwear._"

Which I guess would mean, picture them in the most degrading way possible. Which still wouldn't get me anywhere.

"Imagine they're _her_," Tobi whispered and slipped a knife into my hand. I closed my eyes and thought of the demon. Hatred clouded my judgment.

I felt ready.

Urm, yeah. I just realized that in chapter…11, Akuma got her hand chopped off and Avery didn't. I have a good reason for that. Put in your review if you would like to know ^^ Still working out the kinks in my reason…Anyways, sorry for suckiness, extreme lateness, and other stuff ^^ Remember to review! Also, any idea's you want in the story must be told to me first x3 That is, if you have idea's…Unlike me….


	15. Chapter 14

I was not satisfied with the last chapter, but I'm too lazy to change it. And I don't feel like doing 1st person. –sigh- I couldn't do anything before this because of exams and crap….Anyways, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I own only Avery and the invisible cat….Inside joke….

-(*pOpAnDlOcK*)-

_Last Time_

_"Imagine they're __her__," Tobi whispered and slipped a knife into my hand. I closed my eyes and thought of the demon. Hatred clouded my judgment._

_I felt ready._

Avery stomped over towards the roof top door and, when she saw there wasn't a handle, summoned a strong burst of wind. She didn't stop to marvel at her handiwork, though she would've been proud; the door was completely blown off its hinges. As she reached the first step, the brunette paused. She looked back at Tobi, who nodded reassuringly, and then she descended.

Avery kept a hand on the wooden rail as she went down. Cool air breezed up around her and the stairway smelled like Home Depot. 'Must be a new building' she thought and shook her head to clear it. The brunette was nearing the top floor and, judging by the size, there were about six of them. She gulped before pushing open the door, beginning her mission.

That whole first floor wasn't what she expected. It was a business office on the outside, so Avery thought that the place was going to be all cubicle and no problem. But…

It was the exact opposite.

The next few minutes passed in an almost complete blur. All the young girl could remember was that she had hurt a lot of people, probably even killed a fraction of them. It was like she there, but not _all_ there. The only thing she could really remember was when it started and when it ended.

Started: When she stepped through that door, probably a hundred eyes turned toward her. It took a moment for everyone to register what they were seeing. Every person in the room was a guy, probably depraved and deprived. The rushing of bodies coming towards her combined with the pulling, grabbing, and the _smell_ was just too much. Something came over her and that's when her senses shut down…

Ended: Avery stood in a pool of blood, none of it her own, gasping. While she knew men had been attacking her, not one of them had landed a blow. But she had. Three floors of striking down every person in her way. But hadn't Tobi told her to do just that?

The witch looked around to search for the old man she was here for. None of the felled men resembled him the grainy image Pain had showed her. She started stumbling for the stairs, thinking maybe it wasn't three floors she had gone though, when she was suddenly grabbed from behind. As she started to scream, a hand was clapped over her mouth and her hands restrained. When Avery kept struggling, the person pressed the pressure points on her shoulder and the girl passed out.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Avery awoke in a stark white room. It was much like the other times she had been forced unconscious; awoken in a strange place, groggy…Except this time, there were no friendly faces. She was in a chair, mouth gagged and hands tied tightly behind her back. Every time she wriggled her wrists, the wire that was used cut into them.

A gap appeared in the wall and a lean man no older than thirty stepped through the previously hidden door. The brunette forced herself to be calm and watched as the man talked with someone on the other side of the wall. Finally, he closed the door and looked at the witch. She was disgusted to see a sick, lecherous smile plastered on his face.

He strode towards the girl, taking his time. Sweat beaded on her brow when he laid a hand on her shoulder and started massaging it. 'No, no, no' she cried mentally.

The man's hand moved to her hair, which was done from its usual ponytail, gently brushing through it. Avery jerked her head away and turned to give a fierce (she hoped) glare. His smile only grew wider.

"Good, good," he purred in a rough voice, "I like them feisty."

"Et da ell ah e!" she said through the gag.

"Sorry, what was that?" he chuckled, untying the piece of cloth. He leaned close to her ear and she had to keep from gagging at the smell of cheap gel and lust.

"I said, get the hell off me!" she screeched and shoved her head back, ramming into his nose. He howled, clutching his nose. He stomped around to face her and promptly slapped her. The noise echoed throughout the room.

"We were hoping you'd fall prey to my genjutsu, and tell us the information we know you know," he said, wiping away the trickle of blood from his nose, "But I guess we'll do this the hard way."

As he said that, the young man visage faded away like static on TV. It was replaced with an older man, fat and ugly. Her eyes widened. This was the man Pain had wanted her to kill. He smiled a cruel smile before reaching out and grabbing a fistful of Avery's hair, yanking hard. She cried out, but aside that, stubbornly remained silent.

"I want you to scream," he said in a low voice, "We know he told you to do that if you were in danger."

She spit in his face. "Go to hell."

The man snarled. Although it seemed impossible for his size, he swiftly separated the girl from the chair, making the wires cut in her wrists. Tears pricked at her eyes when he dropped her on the ground, black dots materializing in front of her eyes. The creep kneeled her and cupped her chin.

"One more chance," he whispered. She remained silent.

He straddled her then and a wave of terror washed through her. He lifted her shirt to expose her and let the fingers of one hand dance across her body. With the other, he pulled her baggy pants off, throwing them across the room. Avery, desperate, raised a knee to push him off, but his bulk was too much; it was almost impossible to move. She grew even more desperate when he started taking off his own clothes. She did scream then.

The dirty old man's triumphant smile was seen only for a second before he completely disappeared. Avery lay there gasping for a moment, clutching her chest. The sound of choking caused her to sit up abruptly. She looked towards the noise and saw Tobi gripping the pedobear* by the neck. She smiled slightly but it was immediately wiped off when she realized something.

"Tobi, run!" she screamed, "It's a trap!"

The masked man looked up at her, dropping the target. The latter was wheezing, but was immediately silenced by Avery, who had walked over, knife in hand. She stabbed him ruthlessly, ending with a jab to his heart. People started to gather in the hallway and the brunette looked to her partner. He in turn grabbed her hand and she felt a sickening lurch as the white room started to disappear. Her last glimpse was of some tough looking men with shocked, almost scared expressions on their faces.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

They reappeared in a wooded area, most likely the forest they had to walk through a day or two before. As soon as Avery hit solid ground, she raced behind a tree and heaved. She flopped down in front of Tobi moments later spitting several times at her side.

"Don't you ever-" She spit again. "-do that to me again."

He chuckled. "No promises, love."

They sat in silence, the brunette shivering. She had forgotten to put her pants back on. 'Why didn't I get my pants?' she asked herself, curling herself into a ball. Tobi scooted over and sat her in his lap, resting his chin on her head. Avery immediately felt warm and fuzzy.

"He didn't…do anything to you, did he?" asked, showing a side of him she guessed not many have seen. Why? Call it a woman's intuition.

She shook her head. "Thanks for coming, though. He would've done something, if it weren't for you."

Avery fell asleep soon afterwards, feeling happier than she had ever felt before.

-.-.-.-.-.-

*Couldn't help myself xD

Okay, cheesy ending, I know. Sorry for it being late, yada, yada, yada. Press that little button down there if you want me to continue the story. No reviews, no more chapters. Okie-day, till next time!


	16. Chapter 15

Thanks so much for your reviews! I am so glad there are people who have stuck with me to chapter 15 :D You guys are fan-tucking-fastic ;)

Disclaimer: If I did, then Tobi would be a sexy beast and, uh, not old.

-(:)- o/.\o ^,\)

It had been three weeks since that eventful mission. I was now a semi-permanent member of Akatsuki. Only semi due to the fact that, 1, I had no reputation and 2, they had no extra rings. I did get my very own coat, though. I cut it off at the knees for extra mobility (and lack of anything better to do one day).

Tobi and I were also (semi) regular partners on missions. They were usually pretty short, 2 or 3 days at the most. I did go on missions with others, though. The people I never went on missions with were Kakuzu (Deidara told me he killed all of his partners), Hidan (apparently, he likes sacrificing people to someone named Jashin), and Zetsu (he eats people). I also wasn't allowed to be alone with said people. For some reason, people think I'm irritating.

I was sitting on my bed, writing in a journal Konan made me. She said it was made with paper she made herself and if she's ever hurt, it will start to yellow and age. I almost cried when she gave it to me; my mom used to make all sorts of stuff for me all the time. Anyways, as I was writing, I started thinking about outside. Pain won't let me out, his reason being that since I was in Akatsuki now, someone would take it upon themselves to kill me, and my powers were just too useful to waste.

'_Obviously, I'm just a tool.'_ I wrote, huffing, and then closed the book. My eyes wandered over to my window (there was no way to open it) and the wheels in my head started to turn. I did blow that door off its hinges on that mission; could I do it to a window? The glass didn't look particularly thick and the frame was just wood. I grinned and went to the door, peering outside it to make sure no one was there.

"The coast is clear," I whispered to myself, feeling giddy. I skipped to a spot in front of the window and slipped into a stance similar to the one my karate teacher taught me years ago. Only real difference was that Tobi reminded me about it.

I raised my hand to my face, cupped it, and then blew. A small flame flickered into existence, the giddy feeling surging down to my toes and back. I was really just experimenting, as Kisame and I were focusing mainly on controlling water at the moment. Whatever fire I had used before was out of pure emotion.

I guarded the flame with my other hand as I breathed in, watching intensely as the fire grew. It seems to breathe as I did and I stored that knowledge for later reference. Eventually, I got the fire to be a little bigger than my head. It was mesmerizing to watch it curl and dance and I had to force myself to focus. I instead settled my gaze on the window, putting all my longing to be outside (while not on a mission) into the fireball. And then I threw it.

The explosion was enormous. To be honest, I wasn't expecting that, but hey, all the better, right? I ducked just as it hit the wall and debris flew everywhere. I heard shouts in the hallway over the fire and ran out of the opening. I winced when my foot (why did I not put shoes on?) passed through some of the flames that surrounded the hole, but not because it was hot (it wasn't). It was freezing cold and burned even more than it would if it were hot.

I didn't look back, just did a sort of limping jog that got me farther than I thought it would. The shouts got fainter; they didn't seem to be following me. I grinned, adrenaline stopping me from being worried. My feet just kept dragging me farther out into the woods.

When I finally stopped, it was to collapse in front of a large tree. I was heaving in lungful breaths of air and my foot throbbed. I struggled to sit up against the tree and looked at my foot. It looked raw and pink, with little tinges of blue on my toes and still cold to the touch. Tears sprang to my eyes; it hurt like hell now that I was still.

I sat there for a while, feeling my foot ache and listening to the forest. I started thinking about what would happen when I got back. At the worst, death, but not likely. Probably locked in a windowless room with surveillance (not really a problem, though. Someone to talk to, at least). I was startled out of my thoughts when I heard a rustling in some bushes to the left of me. My eyes narrowed at the spot and the breeze that had been blowing stilled, making the surrounding area silent.

"Who's there?" I called. I wasn't frightened in the least. The elements were at my disposal; what's the most an animal, or person, could do? The movement ceased abruptly. All was still. I waited a few moments before letting my guard down, thinking maybe it was just a rabbit or something. And then something bounded out of the foliage landing directly in front on me. I shut my eyes tight and curled into the fetal position faster than you could say 'hide'. Nothing happened after a few minutes but I didn't relax. The wind was starting to pick up around me, forming a cocoon.

'Why do you do that?' a voice said inside my head. It was feminine, so I thought maybe it was Akuma. My eyes shot open and I looked around. A lean, furry leg entered my line of vision. I lifted my head to get a better look at the creature. It looked like a wolf with too long legs. The fur was a rusty brown with bits of black around its legs.

"Did you…say something?" I asked slowly. I sat with my legs underneath me, so I was level with the wolf's eyes. They were the same shade of green as Sadie's had been.

'You heard me?' the voice said incredulously. The light in her (I was sure it was a her, now) eyes changed to surprise.

"Uh, yeah, I guess." I bit my lip. Was hearing animals part of being a witch?

She sniffed at me. 'You smell different from normal humans. Perhaps…'

The wolf plopped down on her haunches and gazed at me with a hard intensity. I shifted uncomfortably while she looked at me. After a few minutes, a paw was placed on my hand.

'I suppose we are bonded.' She looked directly into my eyes. Suddenly, I wasn't in the forest anymore. I saw a pack of young wolves hunting their first kill. Sadie and I meeting each other for the first time. A wolf rising to become the leader of her pack. Sadie dying before my eyes….

I threw myself at the wolf and cried into her neck. She looped a leg around my back and let me sob. Honestly, it felt good to let out the tears.

I don't know how long we sat there. The wolf suddenly growled and I thought maybe I hugged her too tight. But then I looked up and saw Tobi standing there. His mask was on, so I couldn't see his face, but I had the feeling he was frowning. Glancing at my new friend, I slowly got to my feet with some difficulty due to my foot. Tobi turned his back to me and started walking away. I limped after him, checking to see if the wolf was following me. She did and when I faltered in my walking, she helped remain upright.

'Do you have a name?' I sent the thought towards her, testing our new connection.

'I am known as leader in my pack,' she said, 'I have no human equivalent name.'

I thought about this. No name? Well, I would have to give her one.

'How about Sadie?' I asked, smiling sadly.

'If it pleases you.'

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When we got back to base, Tobi almost didn't let me bring Sadie in. Only after she had growled at him and I gave him my puppy eyes did he conceded to it. We made a beeline for Pains office. On the way, we saw Deidara and he gave me a thumbs up. For the explosion, I suppose.

Tobi let me into the office and closed the door behind us. Sadie took a protective stance in front of me, a low rumbling building in her throat. I pet her head to calm her down, but I felt just as agitated.

"You understand what you did today was unacceptable," Pain said in his usual monotone. My fingers curled around a tuft of fur on the wolf's head. I hated it when he acted like a parent.

"No."

"Shall I teach you?" He quirked an eyebrow. My eyes narrowed; Sadie's rumbling turned into a snarl and Pain seemed to take notice of her for the first time. "What is that?"

What was she, really? A friend? Friends weren't required to go where I went, which is what she did.

'I tried speaking to him, but there is no consciousness to speak to. You are my mistress. I am your familiar.'

Nothing to speak to? Maybe he was a robot or a zombie.

"She's my familiar," I said, folding my arms over my chest.

Pain peered at her. "Is it necessary?"

"Yes, _she_ is." I had failed to mention the surge in power when Sadie claimed us bonded. It was exhilarating, to say the least.

Pain sent me out of the room to converse with Tobi. As soon as the door closed behind me, my stomach growled loudly, along with Sadie's. I could understand my being hungry (I didn't eat breakfast and it turned out that everyone had just eaten dinner), but what was Sadie's story?

'I went out to find food for my pack,' she said rather quietly, 'They'll appoint a new leader soon, since I haven't come back.'

'I'm sorry,' I told her. I felt awful for being the reason she abandoned her pack.

'It's not your fault,' she said, 'I was told by the Elder that one day I would leave for a noble cause.'

We were quiet until we reached the kitchen. I slung her one of the raw steaks that Kisame ate to her and grabbed some leftover ramen for myself. We ate in more silence.

"Did you get a hold my C4 or something?" Deidara sat down next to me, smirking. I grinned and waved my hand nonchalantly.

"I'm just good like that, you know?" I said. We laughed, but I quieted when I saw Tobi enter, mask off. My eyes widened to saucers as did his.

"What's wrong?" Deidara asked, calming. He turned and I let out a sound of protest. The blond was knocked over, though, as Tobi tackled him. Tobi quickly put his mask back on while Deidara recovered. As the bomber reached for his clay, Pain came in, effectively stopping the action. He sulked out, glaring at Pain and Tobi.

"So what's up?" I asked them, leaning against the counter. Sadie sat chewing her steak at my feet and

Pain gave her a look of disgust. "Because of your incident, I have decided you'll be placed under 24-hour surveillance."

I shrugged. "Kay. C'mon, Tobi. Show me to my new ro-."

"You won't be staying with here," he interrupted.

"…What?"

"I'm sending you to another base along with Deidara and Tobi."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Did you like that? 8D 4 friggin pages~ And guess what? Chapters should come earlier (don't expect it, though) due to a treaty between me and the plot penguins. By the way, I wrote the first page or so a while ago, so if it doesn't seem…quite as smooth as the rest of it, sorry! Remember to review~

-Michi-tan


	17. Chapter 16

Sorry it's been so long! Did not mean to update so late. My computer is being a real thorn and I've had a LOT to do. Hope you'll forgive me! I'm also finding it super hard to include Sadie into these .

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_Last time…._

_"I'm sending you to another base along with Deidara and Tobi."_

I was back in my room with Sadie, stuffing several articles of black and navy clothing into a backpack, smiling. Finally, I was getting out of this dump! Unintended mission: successful. And I'd be going with Tobi, too. My packing paused and I touched my lips lightly. Tobi and I hadn't really talked much since that one mission, much less kissed. I wondered if maybe he regretted it, or perhaps he just wanted to get me all excited. Either way—

"Avery-chan!" Speak of the devil, and he shall come. Tobi burst through my door, waving his arms frantically. I yelped when he tackled me onto the bed.

"Tobi, why—" I started to ask, but Tobi cut me off. With his lips. Not that I mind, of course. I heard Sadie growl from her position at the foot of the bed.

When we stopped for breath, I noticed a few things. First, his mask was off and nowhere to be seen. Second, the door had closed after being so roughly opened. Honestly, I thought it had been busted off its hinges. I also heard Deidara screaming down the hallway; everyone here knew what that meant.

"Tobi, what did you do this time?" I said, pushing him off of me. He gave me a smirk and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

"Nothing of any importance," he said.

I rubbed at my temples. "You're not going to let me enjoy this trip, are you?"

"I enjoy seeing you frustrated." He kissed my nose, making my face heat up. Tobi chuckled, then put his mask on and left, leaving me alone with my bag.

'Is that your mate?' Sadie asked when the door closed again. She touched her nose to my hand lightly and then lay her head on my lap. I hadn't moved since Tobi tackled me. I rubbed the soft fur behind her ears and sighed. Truth to be told, I don't even know if Tobi thought of me as a girlfriend, let alone a _mate_.

'Maybe one day.'

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I glared straight ahead as Deidara argued with Tobi, once again. It wasn't even an hour in and he's already tried to blow up Tobi 13 times. Trust me, I've counted. Sadie wasn't even around to save me from this monotony; she had disappeared after informing me that she had to find her pack and assign the new leader. My foot was still bothering me, too, which increased my annoyance. Turns out, medicine can't help magical injuries.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Deidara reach into the ever-present clay pouch at his side. Heaving a sigh, I slashed through the air with a sideways karate chop. A smirk appeared on my face when I saw him blown back, though I was slightly peeved at the fact that Tobi didn't even budge. When Deidara come stalking back to us, I put on my best puppy face.

"Dei, would you carry me?" I pleaded, folding my hands praying style for effect. I could feel Tobi's glare.

"Why would I do that, un?" The blond scoffed, brushing off his cloak and peering at me with a single sapphire eye, "Couldn't you just float with us, un?"

Ah, he'd heard about my experimenting. A few days ago, I had remembered this show where this kid had power of the elements and could kind of float for a few seconds on a ball of air. Well, I thought, 'Hmm, I can control air and stuff, too. Why not give it a go?'. I earned a few bruises, but, thankfully, learned how to glide for a second of two. Not really floating; just the gliding required an incredible amount of concentration and energy. Anyways, it could still save me from a hard landing.

I sniffed a little bit. "But I'm tired a y foo hrts...Oh well, maybe Tobi will-"

"Fine! Hop on, hm," Deidara relented. He squatted down and I situated myself comfortably, slinging my bag around to lay on my back. I loved that he thought he had to be better than Tobi at everything; it benefited immensely. When we started moving again, I turned out around and stuck my tongue out at Tobi. He moved his mask down slightly so I could see his death glare. I giggled a little bit and settled my chin on my steeds shoulder.

"What, mijikai, un?" he grumbled. Mijikai was his nickname for me and it meant short; I was 5'2" to his 5'5". I tugged on his bangs softly and sighed. I hadn't told anyone yet, but I had this horrible pit in my stomach every time I approached Deidara. Like something awful was going to happen. He had become my best friend (other than Tobi) and, in case something _did _happen, I wanted to be close to him.

"Nothing."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_I struggled in someones grip while screaming Deidara's name. A boy, who couldn't be much older than me, stood only a few feet away_. _He summoned a large, purple snake and disappeared along with the animal. I felt a sickening lurch as the world shifted and a bright flash bloomed in front of my eyes. _

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I awoke with a start. The dream I had was already fleeting, but I let it fade. It felt too painful to try and remember.

By the time, it was erased from my memory, I realized it was far too quiet. My eyes searched for Deidara and Tobi, yet they were no where to be seen. I was in a cave dimly lit with a candle; some boxes were randomly placed on the floor. A small Japanese pallet (I knew this because Sadie, the one from my world, slept on one instead of a real bed) served as my bed.

A movement in the darker part of the room caught my attention. I tensed, causing a cold wind to start blowing. It was just Sadie, though, and I threw my arms around her neck when she came to me.

'Where is Deidara and Tobi?' I demanded from her in my thoughts.

There a sad look in her eyes. 'I do not precisely know.'

'You're lying.' I had felt her heartbeat raise slightly as she had said; there was also a anguished look in her eyes, as if she were dreading telling me. 'Tell me this: Are they dead?'

She didn't answer.

Several minutes later, Tobi materialized and I cried with relief. I squeezed him hard when he knelt before me, soaking his cloak with salty tears. He kissed the top of my head and let me sob my heart out. He had some bad news to deliver, I just knew it, but I was going to delay the informing for as long as possible.

"I'm sorry," I eventually said, choking out a giggle, "I got your cloak all wet."

"It's alright," he said. I peered around his body, looking for Deidara. Maybe he was lagging behind?

I looked into Tobi coal-black eyes. I was certain this was the man my foster mom wanted me to find; he did have red eyes some of the time and he had helped me a lot. Fingering the cube I had been given all those weeks ago, I asked him a question.

"Where is Deidara?"

He gazed right back. "He's dead, Avery. You saw the explosion."

It was like my vision shattered like a mirror. Everything I saw was distorted and cracked. And now it was watery due to fresh tears leaking from my eyes. The dream that wasn't really a dream came shooting back. I pushed Tobi away and reached for Sadie, my fingers burying themselves in her fur; she yelped, but did nothing to stop me from mutilating her. Tobi reached for me and I turned on him.

"You could've saved him!" I screamed. Sadie, sensing my anguish, snarled at him. He continued to move towards me and didn't even flinch when she bit into his hand.

"He didn't want to be saved," he said so calmly, it made me even angrier. How could he say that? Nobody _wanted_ to die in a explosion.

"His wish was to die artistically," he continued, "Go out with a bang, perhaps."

When he said that, I remembered the blonde remarking several times that: "Art is a bang!" Most of my anger left as I realized that Deidara dying wasn't Tobi's fault. It was replaced by curiosity and exhaustion.

"Who was that boy?" I asked, laying my head on my wolf's torso and releasing my death grip on her.

"A relative of mine."

"Like, a cousin or something?" My eyelids were fluttering closed now. Why was I so tired?

Tobi snorted. "More like a great grandson."

Okay, now that was weird. I could've sworn he just said grandson-_distant_, at that. How old was Tobi? He didn't look any older than 22; I could only imagine would Mom and Sadie would say if they found out I'd been kissing a 70-year old. Sadie's would be infinitely more hilarious and I would give anything to hear exactly what.

"Grandson?" I murmured. I couldn't do much more due to my increasing sleepiness. Tobi didn't answer. Or if he did, I didn't hear it. I had conked out. I wonder why I was so tired...

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Finally :) This chapter is finished~ Now on to other matters...

You guys do realize this story has no real plan, right? If you reread it (I doubt you will), you'll see there are many many inconsistencies. I'm really just spouting off ideas as I write this...But you enjoy it right? Say you enjoy it by clicking that little button down there that say, REVIEW. If you don't, I'll feel so depressed I won't get another chapter out :'(

Thanks for reading!

~Michi-tan


	18. Chapter 17

What's with the reviews people? There are hardly any!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything that pertains to it; I own only a very worn Tobi plush.

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I sat curled in the fetal position in the middle of the spacious bed that was in my new room. To any ignorant person, it would seem like I had an unhealthy interest in the wall. But the reason why I was just laying there was this: I couldn't do anything else. Tobi wouldn't let me. He said emotions get you killed, and right now, my emotions were running rampant. The room showed signs of just how bad it was; broken furniture, scorched ceiling, and everything was wet; soaked through, in fact.

We had arrived at the new base two weeks ago. At first, all I did was sleep. It was really strange how I was so drained; almost like my strength was being sapped from me. Eventually, Tobi got me to eat, but it was forced, and I couldn't eat much. And right after that, I went back to sleep. After I ate, though, I had nightmares.

These nightmares were always about the boy I had seen at the fight. The one Tobi said was his grandson (he must've been exaggerating). He was always in trouble or the one causing it. But in the end, he'd always die, and for some reason, it sent ice shards through my heart.

The door creaked open and closed with a click soon after. Sadie hopped up onto the bed and curled up near me, a low rumbling in her throat. That meant Tobi had come. She didn't trust him alone with me anymore, not after Deidara. She told me the whole ordeal had seriously affected my spirit and magical part of me. It went along the same lines of what Tobi said. My entire being was out of control. And while Tobi thought it was only because I witnessed a death (it wasn't, as I had killed before and this hadn't happened), Sadie knew it was because Deidara and I had a bond.

I didn't get what she meant until I really thought about it. A friend is someone who takes you a long time to trust and know the way I did Deidara. A best friend is someone like him and Sadie (both of them). From the moment I met each of them, we had a connection that I knew would last forever. Cheesy nachos*, yes, but it was—is true.

"Get packed for seven in ten," Tobi commanded. He didn't leave after a few moments and I assumed he was waiting for an answer.

"What for?" I asked in monotone. I looked up at him, glaring at the eyehole in his mask. I don't see why he didn't remove it; we were completely alone in the base and it's got to be stifling under there.

"There's going to be a storm soon, and I want to be there to see it."

"Why don't you just poof over and leave me alone?"

"Pain would have my hide-"

"Give it a rest!" I interrupted, sitting up abruptly, "I know you're the real leader, okay?"

There were many other things I knew, too, but I didn't see the need for him to know that. Some of the nightmares I had had Akuma in them, and while most of the time she tortured me, sometimes the only thing she did was tell me things. They were always about Tobi; some were little and were things I'd asked him about, things didn't really need to be kept a secret. Some were huge and I was the one who needed to keep them hidden.

"Get packed." And he left. I gave the door a hard stare before stomping over to the dresser. Violent winds had already flung open the drawers. I grabbed everything in them, which wasn't much. Tobi might've said to pack for seven days, but I only had enough for five. I shrugged and stuffed them into a back pack; toiletries went in also. I was opening the door to leave when Sadie spoke.

'I think you're forgetting something' she said in my head. Turning, my eyes fell on the cube necklace she had in her teeth. I hadn't looked at it since we got here and for some reason, it was different. It was a little bit flatter and the corners were rounder, but the changes were so small I had to focus hard to see them. A symbol was also missing and in it's place was a symbol that looked like an F, except with the leg thingies slanted downwards**. I recognized it as a rune my mom used when she wrote letters to her Wiccan. It was the letter A.

The necklace bounced against my chest as I ran down the hallway. The air thickened as my heart pumped faster. I had no idea where Tobi wanted to meet, so I decided just to go outside. Grinning, I focused on my inner self, conjuring up my earth magic. I burst into the kitchen and, not seeing him there, thrust my hands out in front of me. In the next second, everything made of stone, dirt, or anything related was uprooted and thrown forward. The kitchen wall fell with a tremendous crash. Dust filled the room, blocking any light and making it hard to see outside. I smiled through the gloom. It always felt good to use my powers freely like this, but Tobi always put restrictions on them. He said if I used them too much, it could drain me; if it's too obvious, someone would notice eventually. And since I hadn't completely mastered my magic, it was always obvious.

I took a step through the hole in the wall and looked around. Oak trees clustered closely together, hardly letting any light shine through. Stray dust motes danced through what little sun was filtered through the leaves and branches. I kicked off my 'ninja' shoes that the Akatsuki wore and curled my toes in the soft, green grass. It was beautiful here, though I highly doubt that's why they chose it as a base location.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an area of forest around the corner of the building without any vegetation whatsoever. Briefly, I heard a disgruntled voice call out my name, but I had already tuned out everything except the roaring in my ears. My eyes started to burn slightly. From here, I could see the many scorch marks and the deep indentation of the clearing. An immense explosion could've caused, and was probably the most likely reason.

I almost broke down into tears once again. The sight of Tobi, though, standing just inside my line of vision, hands folded across his chest, stopped me. If I was going anywhere, I needed to keep up appearances and swallow my emotions. Closing my eyes, I forced them to drain away and let blank expression slip onto my face.

"Let's go."

Tobi transported us to a ancient looking building with dark clouds growing even darker above it. It would rain soon and, when it did, it would pour.

"Seems as though we're a bit late," Tobi muttered, brushing me off his arm. I'm not very tolerant of his shifting technique, so I held on to his arm for dear life every time. I started off towards the enormous building and I quickly realized Tobi wasn't behind me. Turning, I spotted him striding towards the treeline.

"Hey, wait up!" I called, summoning a wisp of rain cloud. It was slightly more substantial than the fluffy white clouds that were usually in the sky. I hopped on and sped towards Tobi, wondering why he wasn't headed towards where the action was.

It's not great, I know, but it's what popped out of my silly, little head ^^ Hopefully, there'll be some action next chap ^^ Don't forget to review :)

~Michi


	19. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. I only own Avery and all OC's.

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Before long, Tobi stopped on a branch of one of the largest tree's I had ever seen. He paced along its length. He seemed to be doing this in anticipation. I sat on my rain cloud, reaching up my hand and summoning more down to keep it dense enough for me to stand on. The trees didn't like humans on them; they told me. It slightly unnerved me knowing I was talking to animals and plants now, but I figured it was as unusual as having ninja powers or controlling the elements.

"What're we waiting for?" I asked, lounging on my cloud. The bottom started dripping and soon enough, I heard the distant roll of thunder.

Tobi stopped in his tracks and directed his head towards a gap in the trees.

"Them," he said in his Tobi voice, "Stay out of sight, Avery-chan. Tobi doesn't want you on the wanted list yet."

I whistled at Sadie and told her to hide while slowly drifting towards another one of the overly large trees. I hid myself in the branches, coaxing them to cover me a bit more. Tobi was far enough away that I couldn't hear a word he said even if I strained my ears. I could see the people he was talking to, though, but just barely. They all had on long, tannish cloaks, and pretty much all of them had really strangely colored hair.

'What's he saying, Sadie?' I asked my familiar. My cloud was starting to dissipate, so I floated over to a thick branch and crouched there.

'He's taunting the newcomers' she told me. I narrowed my eyes at Tobi, wondering what he was playing. These people had power, anyone with a brain could tell that. The blond one was getting really annoyed. He seemed anxious; all of his muscles were tensed as if he was ready to run somewhere. Then it hit me. I looked back towards where the ancient building was. Whatever was going on there, Tobi was here to keep people away.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of orange going towards Tobi. It was the blond, running at top speed towards him. I glanced back down at the ground. There he was. But how…? It didn't matter. I sent a massive gust of wind towards the space behind Tobi's back and watched the boy fly into the tree trunk.

Tobi reached up and scratched the back of his head, feigning innocence. I tilted my head a bit in a questioning manner, knowing he could see me. His head bobbed a fraction and I took a running leap off the branch. I gritted my teeth with the effort of sparing my energy but still summoning up enough wind to get myself to Tobi.

"Why didn't you say anything about her, Hinata?"

"I-I d-didn't see h-her! I-I searched t-the entire a-area; t-there were n-no other signatures b-besides t-the Akatsuki's!"

Landing beside Tobi, I stayed in a crouching position and took stock of the group. The girl Hinata had long blue-black hair and pale, silver eyes surrounded by raised veins. The blond from before was obviously angry and though I detected an incredibly malevolent energy within him, he himself didn't seem evil. The rest of them, about five others, seemed ragtag and unimportant.

I reached up to my ponytail to tighten it and felt the rubber band snap in my hands. Brown hair fell out of its confinement and immediately fell into my eyes. I stood up, trying to get the mass of tangles into some kind of order.

I have no idea why I closed my eyes, but I did, and the next moment someone pushed me off the branch. There was a sickening feeling of my guts being left behind as I fell through the air. I heard a shout and suddenly, I stopped falling. I opened my eyes and saw a girl with cotton-candy hair smile at me. We were on the ground so I wriggled my way out of her grip got into a fighting position.

"He'll kill you guys for trying to kill me," I warned. As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew they made no sense. If they had tried to kill me, why would she save me?

"Why would he kill us?" she asked, "He was the one who pushed you."

"Liar!" I snarled, but I knew it was the truth. I made a lifting motion with my arms and sent waves of earth towards her. She nimbly jumped out of the way, landing behind me. Just as I was turning to send another onslaught, her arm whipped out and struck my neck.

'Not again.' I groaned inwardly and succumbed to the darkness that precedes unconsciousness.

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_In a dark cave somewhere_

Zetsu bloomed out of the ground, still mulling over the events of the Uchiha battle. 'The good guys always die first' he thought as he set Itachi's body on a slab of rock in front of the humongous statue that contained the bijuu's. His brothers, if that's what they were, surrounded him, growing slowly. Most of them were close to maturity, but none were like him. None of them would have his cunning black side.

Tobi materialized a few moments later, a body slung over his shoulder. Zetsu noticed earlier that Avery wasn't by his side and thought nothing of it, but now, he was a bit worried. He had grown attached to the little runt, mostly because she was a lot like himself. Strange in a world of normal, chakra using people. He had also taught her a little about nature, flowers mostly. He remembered how fascinated she was when he told her that his flytrap was actually a living thing, not decoration.

"Where's the girl?" Zetsu asked finally. He was fairly sure Tobi cared for the girl a little more intensely than he did, but you never knew with Uchiha's; especially the ones harboring grudges.

"She was captured." Tobi became Madara with one flick of the wrist. His mask now lay spinning on the floor a feet away.

"Couldn't you have taken her back?" The bi-colored man was surprised that Madara did nothing to save Avery. Didn't he care for her?

Madara sighed. "She is a pawn. Nothing more, nothing less. Anyways, I can use her capture against Konoha."

Zetsu was hardly shocked by these words. He should've known. Madara stooped to pick up his mask and disappeared with bandages and Sasuke still limp over his shoulder.

"She can take care of herself now," Black Zetsu said in his gravelly voice. White Zetsu sighed, nodding in agreement. He was still worried, though. The Konoha brats had a knack for trying to talk sense into a person. And it usually worked.

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A little short, I know. And no action, either. Sorry on both counts ^^ Thanks to Rima for making me work :) Hope you enjoyed it~ Remember to review :D

~Michi-tan


	20. Chapter 19

Two reviews? You guys can do better.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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I stood in a dark place, no light, no sound. It was like a black void; color bloomed in front of my eyes from the darkness. But it didn't scare me. I only felt an overwhelming love surround me like a blanket. It was warm and made me feel tingly from head to toe. Footsteps started emanating from the void and I still wasn't afraid. In fact, this person's aura was familiar.

I sprang forward, tears of joy slipping from my eyes. A figure slowly materialized a few yards away. I stopped to look at her. Her long, mahogany hair was pulled back into an elegant pony. The pale dress she wore flapped in a nonexistent breeze. She also looked a lot like me, only older. The thing that really caught my attention, though, was her wide-open arms. I ran into them, hugging my mother for dear life.

"Oh, my sweet baby," she whispered to me, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

She murmured sweet reassurances as I cried into her shoulder. Ai stroked my loose hair and generally acted as a mother should while comforting her daughter.

"Why'd you leave me?" I sobbed, burying my face into her shoulder. I knew the answer, but I wanted to hear her say it.

"The demon would've done horrible things to you if I hadn't." She held me at arm's length and wiped the tears off my face. "Baby, listen. I know you like Madara, but he's evil."

My eyebrows knitted together. "What are you talking about? He's been _helping_ me. He… kissed me."

"He's playing you, honey. Like a violin." Way to be blunt, Mother.

"But…my mom said to find a man with red eyes, and he's got 'em," I muttered, and then added, "My foster mom."

"When you and your friend opened the door the first time, a bit of Akuma probably escaped and influenced your…mother." She looked slightly uncomfortable at this, but it passed. Knowing this, I felt scared for the first time. What if she was influencing everyone I knew? What if she was just making Tobi be nice to me?

"What do I do? I'm scared…" I whimpered, fresh tears sliding down my face. I'm such a baby, crying as much as I have. But I was scared; scared for my sanity, my soul…scared of being hurt. My mother squeezed my shoulders, giving me a sly smile.

"String him along like he's stringing you." She winked. "My advice? Find one of those Konoha kids to befriend. I recommend Naruto."

I nodded, though slightly perturbed. The name Naruto struck a chord deep within me. I searched and searched my memory, but couldn't find what was troubling me. Then I remembered how much Sadie loved Japan and those cartoons she watched. A…anime! So that was what I was in…Sadie would be so freaked.

"Hey, um, what does that cubey necklace thing do?" I asked, remembering said necklace. I felt the dream fade a bit.

"Before I died, I sealed a part of my soul in it, so you'd always have me," she said, kissing my forehead. I relished it. Why did this feel so real?

"And…who's my father?" I held my breath. The edges of my vision were turning white as the dream unthreads and my mother was growing fuzzy.

"His name was Yuu," she said dreamily, "You have his eyes."

I looked at hers and saw it was true; her eyes were a muddy brown, while mine were pale blue. I gave her a small smile, thanking her for being here. She kissed my forehead again and took a few steps back. My vision was almost completely white.

"Avery, if you need me, touch the cube and say my name. I'll come."

And then I woke up.

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I was lying in a white hospital bed, though for what, I didn't know. It was a pleasant room, with cream colored walls and sun coming in through the window. The dream was still there as were the tears on my cheeks. I felt a tug on my arm as I raised it to prop myself up. A blue, slithering rope circled my wrist and led under the bed and out the door. I furrowed my brow, feeling something strange on it. I touched my forehead and found a piece of paper sticking like glue.

The door opened and revealed a blond, very busty woman. She looked slightly impatient and irritated, but overall quite kind. I wasn't buying it, but my judgment isn't known to be very good.

"How are we feeling?" she said, taking a clipboard from the end of the bed.

I took on a chipper attitude. "Great. Wow, you're really pretty. What wrinkle cream do you use?"

She raised an eyebrow, muttering things about smartass kids these days. She kept reading and then both brows shot up.

"Sakura!" she screeched. I swear, my ears started bleeding. In rushed the pink haired girl who knocked me out and my eyes narrowed; I was not happy with this chick. Not at all.

"Yes, ?" Sakura asked.

"Why does this girl's chart say she's in Akatsuki?"

"She was working with the Akatsuki member Madara, also known as Tobi."

"Then why is she not more securely detained!" Tsunade screamed. Sakura winced and hurried to tie another weird rope to my wrist. She muttered a sorry to me. I saw now that both of the threads were attached to her fingers.

I coughed. "Hey, um, excuse me. Are you guys Konoha?"

They looked at each other, but it was Tsunade who spoke. "Sakura, I want her down at Inoichi's. Now."

"Wait, wait, wait. I want to see Naruto!" I shouted. I tried mustering a gust of wind or some fire, but nothing would come. It just seemed to sap my energy.

"Absolutely not!

So, they took me, blindfolded, to some mysterious building with a mysterious guy named Inoichi. Eventually, I was tied roughly to a chair, still blind. A door opened and closed somewhere and I turned towards the sound.

"Who's there?" I asked, my voice trembling a bit. I didn't like this. Not one bit.

"They have me interrogating little girls now?" a person muttered, definitely a guy. "What's happening to kids these days?"

I rolled my eyes. "I know, right? Something's wrong with the world."

"Hm, you're part of the Akatsuki, right? What's a girl like you doing there?" he asked. He a few steps toward me. I was relaxing a little bit with the conversation. This man practically oozed calm. A good choice for interrogations; a nervous prisoner didn't talk.

"Eh, not really. Just there by mistake. They decided to keep me like the stray cat I am." I smiled, but after a minute of silence, my lips drooped into a worried frown. "Aren't you supposed to ask questions?"

Fingertips touched my temple. "Just relax. You might feel a slight pinch in your prefrontal cortex."

Damn, that was an understatement. It felt like needles were piercing every part of my brain at one time. A feeling of intrusion shivered up and down my body, like a bad fever. And what does the body do to foreign bacteria? It destroys them.

Which is exactly what it did. I felt my entire being focus on the man's energy trying to intrude my mind. My blindfold was torn off from the sudden gale force winds that ripped through the small room. The man, Inoichi, I supposed, was thrown back against a wall, groaning. Just like that, though, it stopped and I was left weak and trembling. Inoichi stood up shakily, regarding me cautiously.

"P-please," I rasped, "Don't do that again. I'll give you whatever information you want. Just don't…don't do that again."

About 20 minutes later, after telling him everything I knew about Akatsuki (which wasn't much), we were having a staring contest.

"How can I trust what you say?" he asked, folding his arms.

I shrugged. "I don't have anything to lose by telling you."

"And what about being loyal?"

"Trust me, none of them know anything about loyalty," I scoffed. Fuck you very, very much, Tobi. Eventually, Tobi would come and 'rescue' me and I would do exactly what Mother told me: string him along. Play the lovesick puppy who follows him around. One day, I would bring him to his knees.

They released me and gave me a temporary apartment in the barracks. The tag was removed from my forehead and placed on my back. There, it didn't quite block my energy as it did on my head, so I was free to practice with me powers at my own free will. I decided to make my debut in Konoha tomorrow and find whoever this Naruto person is.

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Wow. My muse loves me 3 Remember to review! I won't update until there are at least 5 reviews.

~Michi


	21. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

The happiest moment of my life was when I met Sadie for the first time. The time away from her made me realize that. I used to remember that day like I had just lived it. But that was before I came here to this world. Before this, the memory was as sharp as a knife. Now, however, the fine details are weathering away. I can't even remember what color her eyes were anymore.

But I don't mind. Since I've arrived in this strange, new world I've had a lot of time to reflect. I've realized I shouldn't dwell on her death or anything in the past at all. Sure, it's nice to remember the good times, but the past is the past. She wouldn't want me to mourn her forever. So, bit by bit, I'm letting the memories disappear in the recesses of my mind. Eventually, the only thing left of her will be a name and a dull feeling of loss.

~.~.~.~.~

I slammed the silver door of my mom's Avalon shut, huffing angrily. Mom smiled at me brightly from across the roof. If she thinks she can cheer me up with one of those smiles, she's wrong. She moved me halfway across the country, from LA to Defiance, Ohio, population 16,012. Talk about small.

I left my suitcases and stuffed animals and whatnot in the car for my mom to unload and stomped into our new home. It was a boxy building (saltbox style) two stories high with both a basement and an attic. The shingles were a disgusting shade of green, as was all the embellishments like the shutters and trim; it looked like the color of puke. I immediately loathed the house with a passion. As I walked up to the banister, I kicked out my foot and delivered it a swift kick, effectively denting the wood.

"You're aura has been very dark, honey," Mom observed, balancing three boxes full of herbs, crystal balls, and other psychic paraphernalia. "What has got you so low?"

"Gee, mother dear," I said sarcastically, "I wonder why? It's not like you moved me away from my friends and home to this crappy town."

I deadpanned. "Oh wait, you did.

My mother's eyes took on a glazed, misty look. "Something called me here. Maybe the stars?"

I left my kooky mother to her supernatural mumbo jumbo to go upstairs. I liked being high up in places. Heights excited and calmed me all at the same time. I planned to make the attic my room when we got here, providing it was habitable.

My breath caught in my throat when I opened the door. Sure, there were cobwebs everywhere, that's a giving. But there were portraits everywhere, covering every square inch of floor. They were all placed inside gilt frames, making them seem more elaborate than they really were. Directly in front of me, though, was an unframed and unfinished portrait of a woman. Her blank face seemed to actually stare at me, even without eyes.

I directed my attention to the closed window on the other side of the room before long. The soundless wind outside called to me. I carefully stepped between the paintings, trying not to touch anything. I finally reached the window and opened it as fast as I could. The cool breeze tickled my face enticingly. I hefted my body up onto the windowsill, sitting backwards, and proceeded to lift myself up with the gutter onto the roof. Before long, I was standing unsteadily near the edge. I was close to righting myself to a sturdier position, but I was caught by the view. Beautiful acres of maple trees went on forever, spotted by the different parks and neighborhoods. It was fall now, so all the leaves were changing to a golden shade of yellow. I was so captivated by the scene, I didn't notice the figure walking up the drive.

"Hey! What are you doing up there?"

The shout jarred me back to reality so suddenly, I lost my balance. My feet slipped on a loose shingle and I landed on my butt briefly before sliding towards the edge. I instinctively flung out a hand to grab for the gutter as I fell over. I dangled there helplessly.

"Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry! I'll go get help," the person screamed, a girl by the sound of it. I grunted as I groped for the window ledge with my foot.

"Don't bother. I'm fine," I called. Very carefully, I let myself down back into the attic room and let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. Looking back out the window, I searched for the girl to send her a snarky comment about scaring people. She wasn't there, however. I shrugged and navigated my way back downstairs.

I entered what I guessed would be the kitchen to wash my hands. As I turned on the tap, someone rushed at me and hugged me from behind. The countertop pressed into my stomach painfully.

"What the heck?" I exclaimed, wriggling in the person's grip.

"I am so sorry!" the girl from earlier sobbed into my shoulder. "I didn't mean to make you fall!"

"No harm done, I suppose," I said awkwardly. I twisted my body around to escape and she caught the hint. She grinned at me happily, showing pearly white teeth. Her **** hair was pulled back with bobby pins, with a few hair escaping, and hung down to her mid-back. Her **** eyes shone with a mischievous light.

"Hi, I'm Sadie. I live a few houses down from yours," she explained. I shook her outstretched hand reluctantly. Sadie had that aura of weirdness around her. I kind of liked it.

"I'm Avery," I said, "How did you get in my house?"

She twiddled her thumbs innocently. "May I come in?"

"Yeah, whatever." I grinned. "Hey, wanna see something cool?"

~.~.~.~.~

_Oh, gosh. 20__th__ chapter and it's a filler! –tear-_

_I am so sorry for no update! My computer finally broke, bringing with it all my fanfiction. I am currently in the process of taking everything off the hard-drive. So, I wrote a filler for the time being. If you read One Week, it will not be updated until, well, it is. No filler for that._

_So, this chapter was just a short thing looking into Avery's relationship with Sadie. I really haven't gone into detail on why she was so bonded to her. Well, Sadie almost killed her. I still don't think this did a good job. But I had to write something!_

_So, I hope you enjoyed! Please review this if you want. Anonymous reviews are taken also._

_~Michi_


	22. Chapter 21

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto._

I woke up this morning cranky and irritated. The scales of the universe of me were way out of balance. I decided in a moment that some meditation was in order. So, I asked an ANBU (he was quite surprised that I knew where he was. He said not even their own ninja could find them. Whatever.) where the best place to meditate was and he directed me to an unused training.

I breathed in deeply, retreating further and further into myself. My senses sharpened dramatically to the point where I could hear a butterfly's wing beat. I concentrated to keep that state and while doing so, a thick cocoon of energy, my aura, appeared. I felt the agents that the village's leader, Tsunade, assigned to watch me shift in case I was planning to attack. I didn't move a muscle and they relaxed, but only slightly. They were cautious, although there was no reason to be. I had sworn not to attack and I would live by that.

I felt more at peace here than I had even in my own home. Maybe it was just the sense of detachment from the world now that I had nothing left. Then I realized I still had my familiar, Sadie. I felt bad about forgetting her up till this point and promised myself to give her extra love when I saw her next. But right now, I had to meditate.

Minutes later, after achieving a state of bliss that would last the rest of the day, I heard the noises of a fight not far off. It sounded brutal and I wondered if I should help. While I contemplated this for far too long, the scrap got closer. I only narrowly avoided being pummeled into the ground by what long like a cyclone. An ANBU flashed out like lightning and grabbed me, taking me with him to a sturdy branch. He deposited me roughly and I fell to my knees. When I looked up, the man was gone, but a lonely scrap of paper floated around where he had stood. I snatched it out of the air and read what he had written.

_Madara is a liar. Do not trust him._

I smiled. Itachi was so considerate, albeit a little late. I wondered how I didn't sense his energy earlier. Then again, I hadn't discovered the ability until recently. Thanking him silently, I turned back towards the fight. It consisted of two teens, not much older than I. One was a brunette and looked vaguely familiar. He was moving too fast for me to get a closer look, though. The other boy I recognized immediately. His energy was the same as the blonds who attacked Tobi in the forest. The malign feel of it almost made me double over in pain. I just barely held myself together as I watched the fight.

They went on for what seemed like ages. Finally, I decided I would make my entrance. I hopped down from the branch, manipulating the earth to meet me halfway and then recede, leaving me on a flat surface. I watched the two boys for a few seconds more, timing them. My trick would take the utmost precision. Suddenly, my arm shot out and I curled my hand into a fist. At that exact moment, two tree roots burst from the grass near the boys and latched onto their ankles. They almost broke the root, however, giving the speed and force they had, and I had to send out a few more roots to hold them. They teetered for a moment, finally falling face first beside each other. Almost immediately, they were up again without the hindrance of a restraint, looking around wildly.

I giggled and stepped out of the shadows. "Sorry about that. I didn't know how else to get your attention."

"What're you talking about?" the brunette scoffed. "Are you saying you did that?"

"Mmhm. That was me." I lifted a hand and twirled my index finger. Little rocks and pebbles started dancing around them. When I dropped my finger, they, too, fell.

"You didn't even perform any seals," the blond said in awe.

On my powers: they progressed at an extraordinary rate ever since they were discovered. Air was my strongest element and water was my weakest. Kisame trained me at one point to hone my water affinity, but I don't use it much. It seemed that every day brought new knowledge of my powers. I didn't even have to actively learn about them; I just suddenly knew more and used the information to my advantage.

The brunette started glaring at me and it made me nervous. Why was he doing that?

"Hey! You're that girl with the Akatsuki!" he suddenly exclaimed. This dawned on the blond, too, and they both watched me with wary suspicion.

I made a X over my heart. "I promised not to harm anyone. Not that I'd want to," I added, "Killing is nasty business. Stains my clothes."

Their expressions didn't falter and I sighed. They were right not to trust me, but still.

"Why should we trust you?" the blond asked warily. I looked down at the ground, thinking of the best way to put it.

"You don't have to," I said, "But I want to see Akatsuki go down as much as you, Naruto."

He looked surprised that I knew his name. Hell, I was surprised. It just kind of slipped out. This seemed like the perfect time to make a dramatic exit, so I silently summoned down a dense cloud and hopped on. . This particular technique was an energy burner but was so fun to do. Their eyes bugged out as I started to lift away..

I crouched down to look at them. "Well, it was nice meeting you boys. I'll be around. See ya!"

I floated away quickly, gaining altitude just as fast. This was the best part being a witch. The feeling of being so free, of flying high…it was indescribable. The wind surrounding you, the huge expanse of blue all around you…Going through the clouds was fun, too. It was like being stuck in a shallow, frozen pond, but pleasant. I don't know…It was just great.

Shortly, it got hard to breath. Before returning to the ground, I gathered a bit more cloud to support myself, and then slowly descended back to the world below.

-.-

Later that evening, my stomach got the severe munchies. I had already eaten everything that was allowed to me that day. As I paced my apartment wondering what to do, someone knocked on the door. My first instinct was to look through the peephole, but instead, I sent my senses out to 'see' who it was. I frowned when I didn't pick up any energy signature and opened the door slowly. I grinned when I saw who stood there.

Sadie jumped on me, licking my face all over. I hugged her fiercely and mentally told her how happy I was to see her.

_Your mate brought me here_, she said gesturing with her muzzle behind us. Puzzled, I followed her gaze and felt my body go stone-cold, both with fear and anger. Tobi was leaning up against the plaster wall nonchalantly, looking for the entire world like he belonged there. His mask was on the side of his head. The sight of his extraordinarily handsome face almost turned my insides to butter but I remembered what Aislinn and Itachi told me. He was a liar through and through.

Silently telling Sadie that he was _not_ my mate, I smiled at Tobi. "What brings you to this neck of the woods, mister?"

"You've stayed here a long time, Avery," he observed in his deep voice, "I thought I would make sure you hadn't died."

"Aw, how sweet," I sneered, standing and going to flop down on the raggedy couch. I glared at him, petting Sadie's ruff when she came to sit next to me. I almost giggled when I realized how much I must look like an evil genius from a movie.

"I have an assignment for you," he said.

"Do you, now?"

He gave me a withering look that had no effect. "You are to befriend the boy Naruto and capture him for us."

"Why?" I felt a twinge of puzzlement at this. What was so important about Naruto?

"You don't need to know anymore." Tobi started to grow fuzzy around the edges. I shrieked furiously at him and lunged off the couch towards him. He disappeared just before I reach him and I ended up slamming into the wall. Hot tears slid down my face. My head hurt, my heart hurt…. I also forgot about what Aislinn told me: To string him along. I felt so stupid.

Don't be sad, _pup_, Sadie said, nuzzling my arm. I hugged her tightly, burying my face into her neck.

_Is there a place where reality doesn't suck?_ I asked. She didn't give me an answer.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Yeah, I got sick and tired of waiting for my gpa to fix my computer. Here's a new chapters 8D

100 reviews :O:O You guys rock :'D

Well, there goes the ending I had planned -_- Oh well.

Btw, I'm taking requests for oneshots. It can be anything you want (except lemons o.o I would do horribly. Plus, my mom and fam reads my fanfiction .) ^o^

~Michi-tan

PS. HOLY SHIZZZZZ. WHO ARE YOU TOBI!


	23. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

It's been a week since I arrived in Konoha. Since then, I've learned that the only person who ever gave me those romantic fuzzies was a…I don't know. The word 'liar' didn't seem to cut it. The betrayal cut me even deeper than when I found out my mom wasn't really my mom. I don't know what to even call her. I've had more drama in this world in just a few months than I did in mine in my entire life. The overwhelming urge to just curl into the fetal position was with me every second of every day.

Let's not forget Akuma. I always had to be on my guard because I never knew when she would appear. Sending out energy tracers kept _my_ energy at its exhaustion point. I couldn't even risk sleeping for very long. It was hard trying to keep everyone from realizing that I was dead tired every second of the day. Sadie did the best she could by lending me some of her energy, but it just wasn't enough. I found out I could sap whatever I needed from the people around me, but after trying that for the first time (Naruto was gracious enough to let me try it on him), it wasn't going to happen again. It was an enormous toll on my victim and could potentially kill them (you could imagine the panic that had caused when Naruto suddenly fell over after I stared at him for half an hour).

Fortunately, nobody hated me or anything. Given that I had been with Akatsuki and had a dangerous 'skillset', I had expected to be shunned by everybody. With Naruto toting me around everywhere after that first encounter, though, I was quickly accepted. And I loved everybody. Every single one of the 'Konoha 11'had their own weird quirks that, somehow, reminded me of my own world. They were ordinary teens just like I was; why I expected different at any point confuses me now.

It took me a while to realize that there was someone missing. The air around Naruto and his bubble gum headed friend Sakura was sorrowful and reminded me of when the original Sadie died. When I asked them about it, though, the answer was not was I was expecting.

"So, I've noticed that one of your little group is missing," I casually remarked one day as they were treating me to ramen. Naruto stopped mid-slurp and Sakura sucked in a breath. I just continued with my bowl as if I had never said anything.

"I don't particularly think this is the time or place to be talking about this," Sakura whispered angrily, "Or _you_ the person to be talking about it to."

Naruto bit off the stream of noodles in his mouth and the rest landed with a plop in his bowl. "Sakura, that's hardly—"

"I've treated Avery as nicely as I can," she hissed, slamming her palms on the counter and standing up, frightening the cook, "Because apparently she's important. But, unlike you, I don't feel comfortable talking about this with people other than our friends."

I was speechless. A slight wind picked up in the little hut, making the bells in the corner ring. Sadie was growling outside in response to my distress. Of course, I wouldn't let that show on the outside, but it was still there. Naruto and Sakura were glaring at each other, the first sight of real animosity I'd seen between anyone here.

"I consider Avery my friend and therefore someone who should know this," Naruto said. He stood up and brushed past her, grabbing my wrist. As he pulled me out of the stall, I looked back to see this weird, broken expression on the girl's face. I only saw it for a second, as she slipped on a typical angry face when she saw me turn around. Now I would have to think twice when the Konoha 11was nice to me.

He dragged me along with little resistance to the Hokage Mountain that reminded me so much of Mount Rushmore. Sadie had beat us there, surprisingly enough, since these ninja move faster than the eye could follow, and lay sunning on the newest looking head. '_What took you so long?_' she asked me as she yawned in our direction. I smiled and then took in the sight of the stone wall.

"Race to the top?" my blond friend asked, smirking. I crossed my arms over my breasts, peering up towards the head of the current Hokage. Given that he was a ninja, he probably had some kind of ability that could instantaneously put him at the top, like Tobi's ability. A slight wind picked up at my thought of Tobi and I quickly reined it in.

I turned to Naruto, holding up one finger. "On one condition: no ninja tricks. Got it?"

He scoffed good-naturedly and held out a pinkie finger. Recognizing the symbol, I latched on with mine, grinning widely. As soon as we let go, I didn't hesitate to bring up a pillar of stone to launch me towards our goal. I winced at the amount of energy that was gobbled up by that one simple action. My vision clouded for an instant and I realized what could happen if I did anything else with my powers. I looked down and saw that I didn't have a choice; the rock that had launched me towards the top of the head was far beneath me. Grabbing for the wall would likely be as dangerous, as I could either tear my hands apart on the rock or miss altogether and fall anyways. I had no other options but to use the elements again.

As my descent began, I mustered whatever I had left in me to bring out a flat platform for me to land on. I lighted upon it, my head swimming. I shuffled to the edge and saw the Naruto was closing in.

'_Could you lend a bit of energy, Sadie?'_

'_I have none to spare, pup. Why didn't you just go up the path?_

I slapped a palm to my face and, going to the wall, began to climb. I quickly realized that I had hardly any arm strength to speak of. I also realized that I didn't like to lose. I squinted upwards, judging that I had about 50 feet left.

"Naruto, I hope you can catch me if I fall," I muttered. Closing my eyes, I pushed the limits that I knew I had overreached already and imagined myself moving upwards.

None of the elements came to my aid. It was solely me moving upward and, oh gods, did it hurt. Every last bit of me felt like it was being ripped apart. Faintly, I heard my named being called. Louder, I heard an evil laughter growing with every beat. She was going to get inside my mind if I didn't stop whatever I was doing. I couldn't, though. Akuma held me in her clawed grip now. It was as simple as exhausting myself with a stupid game and not having the strength to fight back when she snatched at her opportunity. The pain intensified as her consciousness dove deeper into mine.

"Silly girl," she cooed, "How could something so stupid ever have come from me?"

Just when I felt that last thread of my consciousness slip from my hands to hers, a white light erupted and pummeled Akuma. The pain disappeared and was replaced by a horrible screeching that I knew came from the demon. I also knew that this light belonged to my mother. It bathed me in a warm light that whispered reassurances and gave me strength. I silently thanked my mother for keeping the demon at bay.

"My darling." My mother's voice came from all around me. "It will be a long time before I can help you again. Luckily, she is too busy elsewhere to put much into this attack—" Right, that wasn't much. I would have to expect more next time, "—Please try and conserve your energy. I am too weak to protect you all of the time."

With that, I woke up, in Naruto's arms, no less. He was kneeling on the head of Tsunade with his hand supporting my head like someone would do a baby.

"Thanks," I said, smiling a little. He grinned in response and helped me stand. My legs wobbled a bit, almost giving out under me, but Naruto held me up. I looked out over the village. The view was breathtaking. Perhaps I should just build a shack right up here…That would be interesting. I wonder if the view from on top of Mount Rushmore was this good.

I looked back at Naruto. "So I'm assuming the person I asked about earlier is a taboo subject around here."

"You could say that." He looked uncomfortable talking about this. From what Sakura said earlier, he blabbed about this to anyone and everyone. My brow furrowed while I waited for elaboration.

"Do you have a picture of him or something? Maybe I've seen him while I was travelling." Silently, he reached into his pocket. I still couldn't get over his orange get-up. I would have to remember to ask him if he was colorblind at some point.

Handing me the photo, he said, "His name is Sasuke Uchiha."

I took one look at the picture and froze. This was the boy that had fought Deidara. Plus, he had the same last name as Itachi. That couldn't be a coincidence.

Oh hey there, an update. Sorry guys, for the…extremely….late update. I go to an IB school now and am busy from 7 in the morning to midnight. But I'll try and get some stuff out this summer. Something tells me, though, I don't have very many people following me anymore though. Oh well.

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